title: Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Genome in Subretinal Fluid of Patients with Latent Tuberculosis Infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test our hypothesis that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) DNA may be present in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells in individuals with latent tuberculosis (TB) infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 100 patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (without any signs of endogenous uveitis in either eye) underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with internal tamponade. All were subjected to tuberculin skin test. None had manifest systemic TB disease. The subretinal fluid collected during surgery was subjected to multitargeted polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting three genes of MTB (IS6110, MPB64 and protein b).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 16 patients had latent TB, of which TB PCR was positive in six patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrate presence of MTB genome in the subretinal fluid containing RPE cells from individuals with latent TB infection, who did not have any evidence of intraocular TB or manifest systemic TB disease, and suggest that MTB can be sequestrated in the RPE cells in latent TB.
authors.affiliation: a Advanced Eye Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research , Chandigarh , India.
authors.forename: Priya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bajgai
authors.affiliation: b Department of Microbiology , Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research , Chandigarh , India.
authors.forename: Kusum
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: a Advanced Eye Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research , Chandigarh , India.
authors.forename: Reema
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bansal
authors.affiliation: c Cytology and Gynecological Pathology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research , Chandigarh , India.
authors.forename: Nalini
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: d Internal Medicine , Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research , Chandigarh , India.
authors.forename: Aman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: a Advanced Eye Centre, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research , Chandigarh , India.
authors.forename: Amod
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D015785:Eye Diseases, Hereditary / Q000601:surgery; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D055985:Latent Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000601:surgery; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000382:microbiology; D058471:Subretinal Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D014374:Tuberculin Test
keywords: Extrapulmonary tuberculosis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; latent tuberculosis; polymerase chain reaction; retinal pigment epithelium; subretinal fluid