Institute for Immunology and Immunological Diseases, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
Yonsei Med J. 2020 Sep;61(9):789-796. doi: 10.3349/ymj.2020.61.9.789.
The prevalence of () and the status of BCG vaccination may affect host immune responses to antigens. Understanding of the predominant local strain and immune signatures induced by its strain-specific antigens may contribute to an improved diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this study was to determine immune responses to antigen which was identified from the hyper-virulent Beijing/K strain in South Korea.
Pulmonary TB patients (n=52) and healthy subjects (n=92) including individuals with latent TB infection (n=31) were recruited, and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube tests were performed. The Beijing/K-antigen specific immune signatures were examined by diluted whole blood assays and multiplex bead arrays in a setting where nationwide BCG vaccination is employed.
Statistical analyses demonstrated that three [C-X-C motif chemokine (CXCL10), interleukin (IL)-6, interferon (IFN)-α] of 17 cytokines/chemokines distinguished active cases from healthy controls following stimulation with the Beijing/K-specific antigen. IFN-α also differentiated between active diseases and latent TB infection (<0.01), and the detection rate of TB was dramatically increased in combination with IL-6 and CXCL10 at the highest levels of specificity (95-100%).
Our data indicate that immune signatures to the Beijing/K-specific antigen can provide useful information for improved TB diagnostics. The antigen may be developed as a diagnostic marker or a vaccine candidate, particularly in regions where the Beijing/K strain is endemic.
（）的流行率和卡介苗接种状况可能会影响宿主对（）抗原的免疫反应。了解其特定菌株抗原引起的主要局部（）株和免疫特征可能有助于提高对结核病（TB）的诊断。本研究旨在确定对从韩国高毒力北京/K 株中鉴定出的（）抗原的免疫反应。
招募了肺结核患者（n=52）和健康受试者（n=92），包括潜伏性结核感染个体（n=31），并进行了 QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube 检测。通过稀释全血检测和多重珠阵列，在全国范围内接种卡介苗的情况下，检测了北京/K-抗原的特异性免疫特征。
统计分析表明，在刺激北京/K 特异性抗原后，17 种细胞因子/趋化因子中有三种[C-X-C 基序趋化因子（CXCL10）、白细胞介素（IL）-6、干扰素（IFN）-α]可以区分活动病例与健康对照。IFN-α也可以区分活动性疾病和潜伏性结核感染（<0.01），并且当与 IL-6 和 CXCL10 结合使用时，在最高特异性水平（95-100%）下，TB 的检测率显著增加。
我们的数据表明，针对北京/K 特异性抗原的免疫特征可以为提高 TB 诊断提供有用的信息。该抗原可能被开发为诊断标志物或疫苗候选物，特别是在该北京/K 株流行的地区。
