title: Post-treatment change in Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-alpha release in patients with active tuberculosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Monitoring tuberculosis (TB) treatment response remains challenging due to lack of reliable laboratory markers. In recent years, increased efforts have been exerted toward development of new biomarkers reflecting treatment response appropriately. While performance of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) to monitor anti-TB treatment has been extensively evaluated, there is no data about post-treatment changes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) antigen-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) release in active TB patients. Herein, we explored whether the MTB antigen-stimulated TNF-α release would be useful for monitoring responses to anti-TB treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared unstimulated (TNF-αNil), MTB antigen-stimulated (TNF-αAg), and MTB antigen-stimulated minus unstimulated TNF-α levels (TNF-αAg-Nil) in supernatants from QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube tests before and after treatment in 16 active TB patients, 25 latent TB infection (LTBI) subjects, and 10 healthy controls (HC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  TNF-αAg and TNF-αAg-Nil levels decreased significantly after treatment in patients with active TB. In addition, TNF-αNil, TNF-αAg, and TNF-αAg-Nil levels were significantly higher in untreated active TB patients compared to LTBI subjects and HC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This finding cautiously suggests that MTB Ag-stimulated TNF-α response may be a potential adjunctive marker for monitoring treatment response in active TB patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chang Ho
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Soo
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Shin Yup
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Ick
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kyungpook National University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jaehee
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Tuberculosis (TB); treatment monitoring; tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)