Rapid diagnosis of CNS tuberculosis by a T-cell interferon-gamma release assay on cerebrospinal fluid mononuclear cells

Kösters, K., Nau, R., Bossink, A., Greiffendorf, I., Jentsch, M., Ernst, M., Thijsen, S., Hinks, T., Lalvani, A. and Lange, C. (2008) Rapid diagnosis of CNS tuberculosis by a T-cell interferon-gamma release assay on cerebrospinal fluid mononuclear cells. Infection, 36 (6), 597-600. (doi:10.1007/s15010-007-7316-0). (PMID:18193383)

Abstract

Central nervous system tuberculosis remains a clinical diagnostic challenge. The ex vivo Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT) is a novel assay for the rapid detection of M. tuberculosis-specific T-lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. However, when performed on peripheral blood, this assay cannot distinguish between active tuberculosis or latent tuberculosis infection. On the assumption that M. tuberculosis-specific T-lymphocytes migrate to sites of infection, we were able to demonstrate high levels of M. tuberculosis-specific cells by ELISPOT in the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with tuberculous meningitis and intracerebral tuberculoma four weeks before cerebrospinal fluid culture became positive for M. tuberculosis by culture.

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