Mycobacterium tuberculosis Lipolytic Enzymes as Potential Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Active Tuberculosis
2011

New TB Diagnosis Markers from Lipolytic Enzymes

Sample size: 105 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Brust Belinda, Lecoufle Mélanie, Tuaillon Edouard, Dedieu Luc, Canaan Stéphane, Valverde Viviane, Kremer Laurent

Primary Institution: Laboratoire de Dynamique des Interactions Membranaires Normales et Pathologiques, Universités de Montpellier II et I, CNRS UMR 5235, Montpellier, France

Hypothesis

Can lipolytic enzymes from Mycobacterium tuberculosis serve as effective biomarkers for diagnosing active tuberculosis?

Conclusion

The tested lipolytic enzymes are highly immunogenic and can effectively distinguish between active and latent TB infections.

Supporting Evidence

  • The study demonstrated high specificity levels for all four antigens, ranging from 93.9% to 97.5%.
  • Sensitivity values for the antigens ranged from 73.4% to 90.5%, with Rv3452 showing the highest performance.
  • The humoral response was significantly different between active TB patients and healthy controls.

Takeaway

Scientists found that certain proteins from the bacteria that cause tuberculosis can help doctors tell if someone has an active infection or just a past one.

Methodology

The study used optimized ELISA tests to detect IgG and IgM antibodies against four lipolytic enzymes in serum samples from TB patients and control groups.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the selection of patient populations from different countries with varying TB prevalence.

Limitations

The study was conducted in low TB endemic areas, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to high-burden regions.

Participant Demographics

Participants included 105 patients with active TB from Poland and France, and 49 individuals with latent TB.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.0001

Confidence Interval

0.84–0.94 for LipY, 0.89–0.97 for Rv0183, 0.91–0.99 for Rv1984c, 0.97–1.00 for Rv3452

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0025078

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