title: Ex vivo characterization of early secretory antigenic target 6-specific T cells at sites of active disease in pleural tuberculosis.
abstract: Presence of early secretory antigenic target-6 (ESAT-6)-specific, interferon- gamma -secreting T cells in blood accurately marks tuberculosis infection. In tuberculous pleural effusions from 10 patients with tuberculosis, these cells were concentrated a mean of 15-fold (standard deviation, +/-6-fold), relative to their level in peripheral blood (P=.014), and displayed rapid effector function. Such cells were absent in 8 control patients with nontuberculous pleural disease. The recruitment of ESAT-6-specific T cells to inflamed tuberculous tissue demonstrates their function in vivo and suggests a novel way to diagnose tuberculous pleuritis.
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Katalin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: Ansar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pathan
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ewer
authors.forename: Manyu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prakash
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Klenerman
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maskell
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Geoffrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pasvol
authors.forename: Ajit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lalvani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D010996:Pleural Effusion; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets; D014396:Tuberculosis, Pleural / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C093276:ESAT-6 protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D007371:Interferon-gamma