FIG. 6.

(A to C) Pleural fluid mononuclear cell proliferation responses (expressed as mean SI) of M. tuberculosis H₃₇Rv culture filtrate-purified polypeptides (n = 104) in tuberculous pleuritis patients (n = 4). The absence of a bar indicates that lymphoproliferation was not carried out. The standard error of the mean was below 30%. The background value (i.e., proliferation in medium alone) of M. tuberculosis antigens was 2,111 ± 235 cpm (mean ± standard error of the mean). Mean lymphoproliferation responses of RvCFP, PPD, and PHA are shown in the inset (D to F). IFN-γ responses (expressed as mean pg/ml) of PFMCs of tuberculosis pleuritis patients induced by M. tuberculosis H₃₇Rv culture filtrate-purified polypeptides. The background IFN-γ response of culture without antigen was 44 ± 14 pg/ml (mean ± standard error of the mean). Mean IFN-γ responses of RvCFP, PPD, and PHA are shown in the inset. Asterisks indicate the polypeptides that induced predominant T-cell responses (mean SI of ≥10 and mean IFN-γ of ≥500 pg/ml). All these polypeptides had molecular masses of ≤15 kDa except polypeptide 81.