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Infection and Immunity, November 1999, p. 5967-5971, Vol. 67, No. 11
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

T-Cell Recognition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Culture Filtrate Fractions in Tuberculosis Patients and Their Household Contacts

Abebech Demissie,1 Pernille Ravn,2 Joseph Olobo,1 T. Mark Doherty,2 Tewodros Eguale,3 Mulu Geletu,1 Wondewossen Hailu,3 Peter Andersen,2,* and Sven Britton1

Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa,1 and Hossana Regional Hospital, Ministry of Health, Hossana,3 Ethiopia, and Department of TB Immunology, Statens Seruminstitut, Copenhagen, Denmark2

Received 12 April 1999/Returned for modification 27 May 1999/Accepted 26 August 1999

We examined the immune responses of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and their healthy household contacts to short-term culture filtrate (ST-CF) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis or molecular mass fractions derived from it. Our goal was to identify fractions strongly recognized by donors and differences among the donor groups of possible relevance for vaccine development. The study population consisted of 65 human immunodeficiency virus-negative donors from the Hossana Regional Hospital, Hossana, Ethiopia. Peripheral blood leukocytes from the donors were stimulated with different antigens and immune responses were determined. Household contacts produced significantly higher levels of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma ) than the TB patients in response to antigens present in ST-CF and the 10 narrow-molecular-mass fractions. A similar difference in leukocyte proliferative responses to the antigens between the two groups was also found. In general, while all fractions stimulated immune responses, the highest activity was seen with the low-molecular-mass fractions, which include well-defined TB antigens such as ESAT-6. Leukocytes from contacts of TB patients with severe disease produced higher levels of antigen-specific IFN-gamma than those from contacts of patients with minimal disease. Both groups of contacts exhibited higher cell-mediated responses than the patients themselves. The enhanced immune response of healthy contacts, especially those of patients with severe disease, to secreted mycobacterial antigens is suggestive of an early stage of infection by M. tuberculosis, which could in time result in overt disease or containment of the infection. This possibility is currently being investigated by follow-up studies of the household contacts.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Statens Seruminstitut, 5 Artillerivej, Copenhagen 2300 S, Denmark. Phone: 45 3268 3844. Fax: 45 3268 3035. E-mail: PA{at}ssi.dk.

Infection and Immunity, November 1999, p. 5967-5971, Vol. 67, No. 11
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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Copyright © 1999 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.