ABSTRACT
Non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections cause morbidity worldwide. NTM are considered opportunistic pathogens, and several species have been associated with human disease which has typically pulmonary, skin and soft tissue, lymphatic or disseminated presentation. This study evaluated the distribution of non-tuberculous mycobacteria in Sardinia. Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium gordonae and Mycobacterium xenopi were frequently found. Our results agreed with literature data both for the frequent isolation of M. avium, M. xenopi and M. gordonae, and the symptoms and radiological evidence of the patients analysed.
Subject(s)
Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous/microbiology , Mycobacterium/isolation & purification , Humans , Italy/epidemiology , Mycobacterium/classification , Mycobacterium/genetics , Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous/epidemiologyABSTRACT
N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) is a therapeutic drug widely used as mucolytic agent in the treatment of respiratory diseases. Recently it has been proposed that NAC administration may modify the plasma levels of low molecular weight thiols (LMW) like cysteine, homocysteine and glutathione, though it has been still debated if their plasma concentration increases or decreases during the therapy. Therefore research calls for methods able to analyze simultaneously NAC and the other plasma LMW thiols in order to evaluate if NAC is able to modify plasma thiols concentration and in particular to reduce homocysteine levels in hyperhomocysteinemia. In this paper we present a new capillary electrophoresis method that allows a baseline separation of plasma NAC from the physiological thiols. The proposed method has been utilized to measure the drug and the physiological LMW thiols in NAC administered chronic obstructive broncho-pneumopathy (COPB) disease patients.
Subject(s)
Acetylcysteine/blood , Electrophoresis, Capillary/methods , Sulfhydryl Compounds , Acetylcysteine/therapeutic use , Expectorants/metabolism , Expectorants/therapeutic use , Humans , Molecular Weight , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/blood , Sulfhydryl Compounds/blood , Sulfhydryl Compounds/chemistryABSTRACT
QuantiFERON-TB Gold obtained approval in 2003 by the Food and Drug Administration as a valid tool for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis. In this report, we evaluated its potential use in the immunological diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections in different groups of subjects. Our data indicate that QuantiFERON-TB Gold is specific for identifying subjects who have come into contact with M. tuberculosis and its use alongside traditional diagnostic techniques may be an important instrument for controlling tuberculosis.
Subject(s)
Bacteriological Techniques/methods , Reagent Kits, Diagnostic , Tuberculosis/diagnosis , Adult , Aged , Antigens, Bacterial , Bacterial Proteins , Blood/metabolism , Female , Humans , Interferon-gamma/analysis , Interferon-gamma/biosynthesis , Male , Middle Aged , Sensitivity and Specificity , Tuberculosis/bloodABSTRACT
Reactivities of human sera against selected recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results obtained indicate that patients with tuberculosis (TB) do not develop a strong humoral response against PE_PGRS and PPE proteins or against the Ag85B and heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HBHA) recombinant antigens. Conversely, purified methylated HBHA was strongly recognized by sera obtained from TB patients compared to controls.
