Table 1.
Demographic characteristics, clinical and immunological parameters of tuberculosis patient and healthy donor populations.
| LR-TB | HR-TB | HD | P-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 23 | 20 | 19 | ------- | |
| Age | 26.7 ± 1.3 | 25.3 ± 2.5 | 29.6 ± 1.1 | 0.103a | |
| Sex | Male | 55.6 | 53.4 | 51.6 | |
| Female | 44.4 | 46.6 | 48.4 | 0.941b | |
| IFN-γ index | 29.7 ± 6.0 | 154.6 ± 53.7 | 217.9 ± 46.0 | <0.0001a | |
| Proliferation index | 1.9 ± 0.4 | 6.9 ± 1.7 | 12.9 ± 2.4 | 0.0006a | |
| Increase in the % of SLAMF1+ T cells | 3.8 ± 4.8 | 10.3 ± 3.4 | 17.6 ± 1.9 | <0.0001a | |
| Lymphocytes (%) | 14.6 ± 4.7 | 16.9 ± 1.6 | 28.4 ± 1.0 | 0.003a | |
| Monocytes (%) | 8.3 ± 1.1 | 9.8 ± 1.3 | 6.4 ± 0.5 | 0.227a | |
| Neutrophils (%) | 61.9 ± 7.5 | 62.2 ± 6.3 | 61.5 ± 1.2 | 0.941a | |
| Time of Disease Evolution (days) | 85 ± 12.9 | 41.2 ± 10.3 | ------ | 0.013c | |
| AFB in sputum smear (%) | (+) | 94.8 | 93.3 | ------ | 0.999b |
| (-) | 5.2 | 6.7 | ------ | ||
TB patients were classified as LR-TB and HR-TB according to IFN-γ index; proliferation index and increase in the percentage of SLAMF1+-positive T cells in response to Mtb-Ag stimulation. The fulfillment of two of these three criteria was sufficient to assign a patient to the corresponding group. Proportion of lymphocytes, monocytes and neutrophils are shown as percentages of total white blood cells. Time of disease evolution (days) was established by analyzing the following clinical symptoms in patients previous to hospital admission: weight loss, night sweats, symptoms of malaise or weakness, persistent fever, presence of cough, history of shortness of breath, and/or hemoptysis. Mean ± SEM are shown for continuous data. Categorical data (Sex and AFB in sputum smear) are expressed as percentages. aP values were calculated by ANOVA test. bP values were calculated by Chi-Square (and Fisher´s exact) test for categorical variables. cP value was calculated by Mann–Whitney U test. P values < 0.05 were considered significant. HD, Healthy donors (BCG vaccinated); LR-TB, Low responder tuberculosis patients; HR-TB, High responder tuberculosis patients; AFB, Acid-Fast Bacilli.