Association of Mycobacterium tuberculosis aerosolization and HIV coinfection in the index case with T cell responses in household contacts.

ABSTRACT: Exposure to pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) culminates in heterogeneous outcomes, including variation in Mtb antigen-specific interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) T-cell responses. IFN-γ-independent cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL-2), offer potential diagnostic improvements and insights into pathogenesis. We hypothesized that ESAT6/CFP10 TNF and IL-2 responses improve Mtb infection detection among exposed household contacts (HHCs) and are associated with index case Mtb aerosolization (i.e., cough aerosol culture positive for Mtb growth, CAC+) and HIV co-infection. We enrolled individuals with PTB and their HHCs in a longitudinal study in Nairobi, Kenya. We measured TNF and IL-2 in HHCs from QuantiFERON-TB Plus TB1 tube supernatants. An additional 9.2% (25) HHCs beyond

SUBMITTER: Njagi LN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11695726 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature