Clinical and diagnostic laboratory immunology
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Clin. Diagn. Lab. Immunol. · Jun 2005
Demonstration of components of antigen 85 complex in cerebrospinal fluid of tuberculous meningitis patients.
Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most common form of chronic infection of the central nervous system. Despite the magnitude of the problem, the general diagnostic outlook is discouraging. Specifically, there is no generally accepted early confirmative diagnosis protocol available for TBM. ⋯ This protein was earlier reported to be present in the blood of patients with extra-central nervous system tuberculosis. Therefore, this finding suggests that this protein can be used as a molecular marker for any type of tuberculous infection. It also provides a more sensitive immunoassay option for the early and confirmatory diagnosis of TBM.