[Immunoreactivity of pulmonary tuberculosis patients to tuberculous antigens purified by affinity columns coupled with monoclonal antibodies directed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis].

Immunoaffinity-purified antigens (MAb-Ags) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which has been obtained in a previous study by use of anti-M. tuberculosis monoclonal antibodies and designated MTA 2a (24 kD), MTA 6a (19 kD) and MTA 8a (19 kD), were examined for their antigenicity by determining the responsiveness to these antigens of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients and non-tuberculous controls. Serum anti-MAb-Ags ELISA antibody levels in TB patients were significantly higher than those in non-tuberculosis controls, including patients with atypical mycobacterial infection and Mantoux-test-positive healthy individuals. MAb-Ags stimulated proliferation of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from TB patients as determined by 3H-thymidine uptake of PBL. MAb-Ags also stimulated PBL from TB patients to increase T4/T8 ratio and Ia-positive T cells. After stimulation with MAb-Ags, increase of IL-2 receptor-positive T cells in PBL from TB patients was not significantly higher than that in PBL from healthy persons. Responses of PBL from non-tuberculosis controls to MAb-Ags varied considerably, and the response was either none or weak, in some cases, or as high as that of PBL from TB patients, in the other cases. In general, MAb-Ags stimulated PBL from TB patients and some of Mantoux test-positive persons to almost the same extent as PPDs did.