Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Aug;42(4):649-54.
doi: 10.1007/s15010-014-0602-8. Epub 2014 Mar 21.

Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis: a biomarker analysis

Affiliations

Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis: a biomarker analysis

J Fortún et al. Infection. 2014 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Studies on biomarkers in tuberculosis are focused on pulmonary forms of this disease (PTB), and only limited information is currently available on biomarkers of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB).

Methods: Serum samples from 24 patients with PTB, 29 patients with EPTB and 27 healthy controls were obtained, and the levels of interferon-gamma, chemokine ligand 9, mannose-binding lectin (MBL), tumor marker Ca-125 and adenosine deaminase were determined.

Results: The circulating levels of all tested biomarkers in the serum were significantly higher in PTB and EPTB patients than in controls. However, there were no significant differences in the levels of the biomarkers between patients with PTB and EPTB, with the exception of serum levels of MBL which were significantly higher in patients with EPTB than in patients with PTB (p = 0.01). In patients with EPTB, no significant differences were observed in biomarker levels among patients with or without concomitant PTB involvement. Based on MBL serum levels, ROC curve analysis showed an AUC of 0.85 for EPTB versus non-EPTB. The optimal cut-off value of MBL serum levels for EPTB versus non-EPTB was 1,000 μg/ml, with a sensitivity and specificity of 79.3 and 78.0 %, respectively.

Conclusions: Biomarkers usually present as acute phase reactants and do not enable pulmonary forms to be differentiated from more serious or extra-pulmonary forms. MBL may be an exception.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1997 Mar;155(3):1135-9 - PubMed
    1. Infection. 2013 Feb;41(1):187-94 - PubMed
    1. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2000 Apr;161(4 Pt 1):1376-95 - PubMed
    1. Clin Infect Dis. 2004 Jan 15;38(2):199-205 - PubMed
    1. Arch Med Res. 2004 Sep-Oct;35(5):435-41 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources