Whole blood assay to access T cell-immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens in healthy Brazilian individuals

Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2004 Feb;99(1):53-5. doi: 10.1590/s0074-02762004000100009. Epub 2004 Mar 31.

Abstract

The production of interferon gamma (IFNgamma) guarantees effective T cell-mediated immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. In the present study, we simply compare the in vitro immune responses to Mycobacterium antigens in terms of IFNg production in a total of 10 healthy Brazilian volunteers. Whole blood and mononuclear cells were cultivated in parallel with PPD, Ag85B, and M. bovis hsp65, and five-days supernatants were harvested for cytokine detection by ELISA. The inter-assay result was that the overall profile of agreement in response to antigens was highly correlated (r(2) = 0.9266; p = 0.0102). Potential analysis is in current progress to dictate the usefulness of this method to access the immune responses also in tuberculosis patients and its contacts.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antigens, Bacterial / blood
  • Antigens, Bacterial / immunology*
  • Cell Culture Techniques
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interferon-gamma / biosynthesis*
  • Interferon-gamma / blood
  • Male
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Tuberculin Test / methods
  • Tuberculosis / immunology*

Substances

  • Antigens, Bacterial
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens
  • Interferon-gamma