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. 2001 Oct;69(10):6554-7.
doi: 10.1128/IAI.69.10.6554-6557.2001.

Tuberculosis contacts but not patients have higher gamma interferon responses to ESAT-6 than do community controls in The Gambia

J Vekemans  1 , C Lienhardt, J S Sillah, J G Wheeler, G P Lahai, M T Doherty, T Corrah, P Andersen, K P McAdam, A Marchant
Affiliations

Tuberculosis contacts but not patients have higher gamma interferon responses to ESAT-6 than do community controls in The Gambia

J Vekemans et al. Infect Immun. 2001 Oct.

Abstract

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen ESAT-6 has been proposed for tuberculosis immunodiagnosis. In The Gambia, 30% of community controls produced gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in response to ESAT-6. Increased proportions of responders and intensities of responses were found in household contacts. Responses that were initially low in tuberculosis patients increased after treatment. An ESAT-6 IFN-gamma assay will be of limited use in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in countries where tuberculosis is endemic. Its role in contact tracing should be evaluated further.

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Figures

FIG. 1
FIG. 1
IFN-γ production induced by ESAT-6, PPD, and PHA as measured in community controls (n = 30), household contacts (n = 28), and tuberculosis patients (n = 30). Horizontal bars represent geometric means. Symbols: ∗, community controls versus household contacts (P < 0.001); £, household contacts versus tuberculosis patients (P = 0.007); §, global test of difference (P = 0.011).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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