Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific cytokine biomarkers for the diagnosis of childhood TB in a TB-endemic setting.

ABSTRACT: The tuberculin skin test and interferon-gamma release assays have limitations in diagnosing tuberculosis (TB), particularly in children. This study investigated the performance of candidate M. tuberculosis-specific cytokine biomarkers for TB in children in a TB-endemic setting. A total of 237 children with a household contact with smear-positive pulmonary TB were recruited. Importantly, a group of children with illnesses other than TB (sick controls) was included to assess specificity. Median IFN-?, IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-13, IP-10, MIP-1? and TNF-? responses were significantly higher in children with active TB and latent TB infection (LTBI) than in both healthy and sick control children. Three of these cytokines - IL-2, IL-13 and IP-10 - showed better performance characteristics than IFN-?, with IL-2 achieving positive and negative predictive values of 97.7% and 90.7%, respectively. Furthermore, IL-1ra and TNF-? responses differed significantly between active TB and LTBI cases, suggesting that they may be stage-specific biomarkers. Our data indicate that incorporating these biomarkers into future blood-based TB assays could result in substantial performance gains.

SUBMITTER: Sudbury EL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6830137 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature