@article{12b6c8a6ba1d4b76b48a95e58ec88a53,
title = "IP-10, MCP-1, MCP-2, MCP-3, and IL-1RA hold promise as biomarkers for infection with M. tuberculosis in a whole blood based T-cell assay",
abstract = "BACKGROUND: IFN-gamma responses to M. tuberculosis antigens are used as in-vitro diagnostic tests for tuberculosis infection. The tests are highly specific but sensitivity may be impaired due to immuno-suppression. The objective of this small exploratory study was to compare three novel biomarkers for in-vitro diagnosis of tuberculosis - MCP-1, MCP-3 and IL-1RA - with the current established biomarker IFN-gamma and the newly described IP-10 and MCP-2. METHODS: Whole blood from 8 patents with active tuberculosis and from 7 healthy controls was stimulated with M. tuberculosis specific antigens and mitogen in the Quantiferon In Tube test tubes. Levels of biomarkers were measured using Luminex and ELISA (IFN-gamma). RESULTS: We found all five new biomarkers were expressed in significantly higher concentrations compared to IFN-gamma. IP-10 and MCP-3 levels in the un-stimulated samples were higher in patients compared with controls. CONCLUSION: All biomarkers had diagnostic potential as they could differentiate between the patients and the controls. IP-10 and MCP-2 seemed most promising as they were expressed in high levels with antigen stimulation and were low in the un-stimulated samples. Further studies are needed to explore the potential of these highly expressed novel biomarkers individually and in combination.",
author = "Morten Ruhwald and Morten Bjerregaard-Andersen and Paulo Rabna and Jesper Eugen-Olsen and Pernille Ravn",
year = "2009",
doi = "10.1186/1756-0500-2-19",
language = "English",
volume = "2",
pages = "19",
journal = "BMC Research Notes",
publisher = "BioMed Central Ltd",
}