Skin test performed with highly purified Mycobacterium tuberculosis recombinant protein triggers tuberculin shock in infected guinea pigs.
Tuberculin shock due to inoculation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens in patients with tuberculosis is a serious syndrome originally described over 100 years ago by Robert Koch. Here, we present experimental evidence that a single M. tuberculosis recombinant protein, CFP-10, triggers this syndrome. Intradermal inoculation of CFP-10 elicits in M. tuberculosis-infected mice high levels of serum tumor necrosis factor alpha and causes tuberculin shock in infected guinea pigs characterized by hypothermia and death within 6 to 48 h after the antigen inoculation. Autopsies of these animals revealed intense polycythemia and hemorrhagic patches in the lung parenchyma, a pathological observation consistent with tuberculin shock. These results point to the possible occurrence of tuberculin shock in sensitive individuals inoculated with highly purified M. tuberculosis recombinant proteins as vaccine candidates or skin test reagents.
Reece
Stephen T
ST
The Forsyth Institute, 140 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Stride
Nicole
N
Ovendale
Pamela
P
Reed
Steven G
SG
Campos-Neto
Antonio
A
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001831:Body Temperature; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000009:adverse effects; D012769:Shock / Q000209:etiology*; D014374:Tuberculin Test / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C117940:CFP-10 protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha