TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring the immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis for a better diagnosis of the infection
AU - Ferrara, Giovanni
AU - Losi, Monica
AU - Fabbri, Leonardo M.
AU - Migliori, Giovanni B.
AU - Richeldi, Luca
AU - Casali, Lucio
PY - 2009/12
Y1 - 2009/12
N2 - Tuberculosis (TB) still represents a monumental problem, with more than two million deaths every year worldwide. The current diagnostics for TB offer sub-optimal accuracy both for the active and the latent form of infection and are often based on technologies unaffordable in low-income settings. The tuberculin skin test was the first diagnostic based on an acquired immune response towards Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Advances in molecular and cellular biology and the elucidation of the mechanisms governing the relation between MTB and the human immune system form the basis for new and more accurate assays, potentially able to fill the gaps and limits of classical diagnostics. However, the process of validating new tests is still complex and hampered by specific questions regarding TB immunology and natural history. We present here a summary of the current approaches to validate new diagnostics based on the detection of immunological biomarkers of TB infection.
AB - Tuberculosis (TB) still represents a monumental problem, with more than two million deaths every year worldwide. The current diagnostics for TB offer sub-optimal accuracy both for the active and the latent form of infection and are often based on technologies unaffordable in low-income settings. The tuberculin skin test was the first diagnostic based on an acquired immune response towards Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Advances in molecular and cellular biology and the elucidation of the mechanisms governing the relation between MTB and the human immune system form the basis for new and more accurate assays, potentially able to fill the gaps and limits of classical diagnostics. However, the process of validating new tests is still complex and hampered by specific questions regarding TB immunology and natural history. We present here a summary of the current approaches to validate new diagnostics based on the detection of immunological biomarkers of TB infection.
KW - Acquired immune response
KW - Diagnosis
KW - Latent tuberculosis infection
KW - New tools
KW - Tuberculosis
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U2 - 10.1007/s00005-009-0050-9
DO - 10.1007/s00005-009-0050-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 19866341
AN - SCOPUS:70450230454
VL - 57
SP - 425
EP - 433
JO - Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis
JF - Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis
SN - 0004-069X
IS - 6
ER -