Skip to main content
PMC home page
Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry logoLink to Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry
. 2003 Jul;18(2):1–5. doi: 10.1007/BF02867359

Immunodiagnosis of tuberculosis: An update

A S Bhatia 1, Satish Kumar 1, B C Harinath 1,✉
PMCID: PMC3453885  PMID: 23105384

Abstract

Tuberculosis is still a major health problem in most developing countries and its incidence is rising in many developed countries. This resurgence has been attributed to the HIV epidemic and TB has been declared as a global health emergency by WHO in 1993. The diagnosis of tuberculosis mainly depends upon initial clinical suspicion and radiographic findings with subsequent bacteriological confirmation by sputum smear examination and culture. Lack of sensitivity in smear examination, non specificity of radiological findings, extended tum around time ofMycobacterium tuberculosis culture and difficulties in diagnosing paucibacillary, childhood and extrapulmonary tuberculosis has necessitated to explore the utility of immunodiagnosis of tuberculosis as a convenient and cost effective test to supplement clinical information for definite diagnosis. Many commercial tests are available in the market for diagnosis of TB. Most of these tests are based on the detection of IgG, IgA and IgM antibodies to specific mycobacterial antigen or mixture of antigens. Indigenous immunoassay systems have explored excretory-secretory ES-31 mycobacterial antigen for immunodiagnosis of TB. Many a time there is lack of consistent elevation in all the three Ig classes in active infection thus making it more important to determine the ideal antibody isotype assay for reliable diagnosis of tuberculosis and to save the costs of the patient for unnecessary investigations.

Key words: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, immunodiagnosis, ELISA, antibody

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (435.2 KB).

References

  • 1.TB India RNTCP status report (2001), 6–11.
  • 2.Miormer H. Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Lancet. 1994;344(8915):127–127. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(94)91311-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Jonas V., Alden M. J., Curry J. I., Kamminsangok K., Knott C. A., Lankford R., Wolte J. M., Moore D. F. Rapid assessment, detection and identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis directly from sputum sendiments amplification of rRNA. J Clin. Microbiol. 1993;31:2410–2416. doi: 10.1128/jcm.31.9.2410-2416.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Nassau E., Parsons E. R., Johnson G. D. The detection of antibodies to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by microplate Elisa. Tubercle. 1976;57:67–70. doi: 10.1016/0041-3879(76)90019-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Gevaudan M. J., Bollet C., Charpin D., Mallet M. N., Micco P. Serological response of tuberculosis patients to antigen 60 of BCG. Eur. J. Epidemiol. 1992;8(5):666–676. doi: 10.1007/BF00145382. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Delacourt C., Gobin J., Gaillard J. L., Blic J., Vermon M. Value of ELISA using antigen 60 for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in children. Chest. 1993;104(2):393–398. doi: 10.1378/chest.104.2.393. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Fadda G., Grillo R., Ginesu F., Santoru L., Zanett S., Dettori G. Serodiagnosis and follow up of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis by ELISA. Eur. J. Epidemiol. 1992;8(1):81–87. doi: 10.1007/BF03334976. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8.Maes R., Homasson J. P., Kubin M., Bayer M. Development of an enzyme immunoassay for the serodiagnosis of tuberculosis and mycobacterioses. Med. Microbiol. Immunol. 1989;178(6):323–335. doi: 10.1007/BF00197451. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Willkinson R. J., Haslov K., Rappauli R., et al. Evaluation of the recombinant 38-kDa antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a potential immunodiagnostic reagent. J. Clin. Microbiol. 1997;35:553–557. doi: 10.1128/jcm.35.3.553-557.1997. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Bolhamley G. H. Serological diagnosis of tuberculosis. Eur. Respir. J. 1995;20:6768–6885. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Jasjeetkour, Arora D. R., Sikka Rama, Gupta K. B. Evaluation of ELISA test using antigen 60 in the serodiagnosis of TB. Indian J. Med. Microbiol. 1999;27(2):72–73. [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Chander I., Subrahmanayam S., Gupta R. Sensitivity of EIA in the diagnosis of tuberculosis using 38 kDa antigen. J. Ind. Med. Assoc. 1996;94:376–378. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Chan E. D., Heifets L., Iseman M. D. Immunological diagnosis of tuberculosis: a review. Tubercle Lung Disease. 2000;80(3):131–140. doi: 10.1054/tuld.2000.0243. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Chiang I. H., Suo J., Bai K. Serodiagnosis to tuberculosis: a study comparing three specific mycobacterial antigens. Am. J. Resp. Crit. Care Med. 1997;156:906–911. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.156.3.9607122. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15.Sudha Pottumarthy, Wells Virginia C., Morris Arthur J. A comparison of 7 tests for serological Diagnosis of Tuberculosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2000;38(6):2227–2231. doi: 10.1128/jcm.38.6.2227-2231.2000. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 16.Mathai Elizabeth, Rajkumari Reena, Kuruvilla P. J., Henry K., Brahmadathan K. N., Inbamalar U., Abraham O. C. Evaluation of serological test for the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Ind. J. Path. Microbiol. 2002;45(3):303–305. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 17.Wilking E. G., Ivanyi J. Potential value of serology for diagnosis of EPTB. Lancet. 1990;336:641–644. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(90)92144-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Gupta S., Shende N., Banerjee S., Kumar S., Reddy M.V.R., Harinath B.C. Analysis of SEVA TB ES-31 antigen specific immunoglobulin IgM, IgA and IgG in sera of sputum and culture positive tuberculosis. Ind. J. Clin. Biochem. 2002;17(1):5–8. doi: 10.1007/BF02867933. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Banerjee S., Raji Nair E., Kumar S., Reddy M.V.R., Harinath B.C. Assay of Tubercular antibody, circulating free and immunecomplexed antigen in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Ind. J. Clin. Biochem. 2001;16(2):203–206. doi: 10.1007/BF02864862. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 20.Wong C. T., Saha N. Changes in serum proteins (albumin, immunoglobulins and acute phase proteins) in pulmonary tuberculosis during therapy. Tubercle. 1990;71:193–197. doi: 10.1016/0041-3879(90)90075-J. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Faulkner J. B., Carpenter R. L., Patnode R. A. Serum protein and immunoglobulin levels in tuberculosis. Am. J. Clin. Pathol. 1967;48:556–560. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/48.6.556. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Alarcon-Segoria D., Fishbein E. Serum Immunoglobulins in pulmonary tuberculosis. Chest. 1971;60:133–136. doi: 10.1378/chest.60.2.133. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 23.Grange J. M., Gibbson J., Nassau E., Kardjito T. ELISA: A study of antibodies toM.tb in the IgG, IgA and IgM classes in tuberculosis, sarcoidosis and crohn's disease. Tubercle. 1980;61:145–152. doi: 10.1016/0041-3879(80)90003-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 24.Gatner E.M.S., Msibi V., Dauth J. Circulating immunoglobulin levels in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis with special reference to IgE. Tubercle. 1982;63:113–117. doi: 10.1016/S0041-3879(82)80047-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Grange J.M., Kardijito T., Setiabudi I. a study of acute phase reactant proteins in Indonesian patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Tubercle. 1984;65:23–29. doi: 10.1016/0041-3879(84)90027-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 26.Papiha S. S., Wentzel J., Behjati F., Agarwal S. S. HLA and circulating immunoglobulin levels in Indian patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Tubercle. 1985;66:25–33. doi: 10.1016/0041-3879(85)90050-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 27.Caplin M., Grange J. M., Morley S., Browm R. A., Kemp M., Gibson J. A., Kardjito T., Hoeppner V., Swanson Beck J. Relationship between radiological classification and the serological and haematological features of untreated pulmonary tuberculosis in Indonesia. Tubercle. 1989;70:103–113. doi: 10.1016/0041-3879(89)90034-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry are provided here courtesy of Springer

RESOURCES