Role of QuantiFERON-TB gold antigen-specific IL-1ß in diagnosis of active tuberculosis.

Prabhavathi, M.; Basirudeen, S.A.K.; Anbarasu, D.; Raja, A.

Medical Microbiology and Immunology; 2015; 204; 567–574.         
 

Abstract The main objective of the study was to evaluate whether in vitro QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFTGIT) assay antigen-specific IL-1ß, TNF-a, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-12 (p40) production is associated with active TB. In a cohort of 77 pulmonary TB patients (PTB), 67 healthy household contacts (HHC) and 83 healthy control subjects (HCS), the antigen-specific cytokines levels were determined in supernatants generated from QFT-GIT tubes. Antigen-specific IL-1ß levels were significantly higher in PTB than HHC and HCS. At a fixed cutoff point (1,108 pg/ ml), IL-1ß showed positivity of 62.33 % in PTB, 22.38 % in HHC and 22.89 % in HCS. Moreover, antigen-specific IL-1ß assay can differentiate PTB and HHC (believed to be latently infected) ( p < 0.0001). Like IL-1ß, significantly higher levels of antigen-specific TNF-a were associated with PTB and displayed 43.63 % positivity in PTB. The antigen-specific IL-2 levels were associated both with PTB (54.54 %) and HHC (48.14%). Other cytokines levels did not differ among the groups. Our results suggest that antigen-specific IL-1ß can be used as a biomarker for active TB diagnosis as well as for differential diagnosis of PTB and LTBI.

Keywords : Tuberculosis; QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay; Diagnosis; Interleukin-1 beta; Tumor; Necrosis factor

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