title: The value of serum interferon-gamma level in the differential diagnosis of active and inactive pulmonary tuberculosis.
abstract: Interferon (IFN)-gamma plays a pivotal role in protective immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Elevations of IFN-gamma have been found in the affected lung and bloodstream of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of serum IFN-gamma level in the differential diagnosis of active and inactive pulmonary tuberculosis. Fourty seven patients with newly diagnosed active pulmonary tuberculosis, 21 patients with inactive pulmonary tuberculosis, and 20 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. Serum samples were collected from each subject and stored at - 70 degrees C until the analysis of IFN-gamma. The mean value of IFN-gamma levels were 9.3 +/- 4.6 pg/mL in patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis, 9.8 +/- 3.8 pg/mL in patients with inactive tuberculosis, and 10.2 +/- 3.4 pg/mL in healthy controls. The comparison of IFN-gamma levels of the three groups was not found statistically significant (p= 0.4). Serum IFN-gamma level was not found to be valuable in the differential diagnosis of active and inactive pulmonary tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Atatürk Chest Diseases and Chest Surgery Education and Research Hospital, Department of Chest Diseases, Ankara, Turkey. deniz_koksal@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Köksal
authors.forename: Ebru
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Unsal
authors.forename: Bariş
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Poyraz
authors.forename: Akin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Hacer
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Savaş
authors.forename: Tuğrul
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sipit
authors.forename: Uğur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gönüllü
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007371:Interferon-gamma