ABSTRACT
We have developed a Real-Time PCR assay to detect M. tuberculosis using the iCycler iQ detection system by TaqMan assay directly on the clinical specimen. A total of 513 clinical samples were taken from patients with suspected tuberculosis and other patients that had an active mycobacterial infection, as well as patients with diagnosed tuberculosis who were receiving antitubercular therapy. The sensitivity and specificity of this assay, 10% and 100%, respectively, were compared to those of conventional microbiological methods.
Subject(s)
Mycobacterium tuberculosis/isolation & purification , Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Tuberculosis/microbiology , DNA Transposable Elements/genetics , DNA, Bacterial/chemistry , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , Humans , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genetics , Sensitivity and Specificity , Taq Polymerase/chemistryABSTRACT
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.
