IP-10 point-of-care tests for monitoring treatment efficacy in tuberculosis in a low-resource setting

Abstract

Background: Treatment efficacy is difficult to evaluate in extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) patients. Interferon gamma inducible protein 10 (IP-10) measured in dried plasma spots (DPS) or dried blood spots (DBS) point-of-care tests has been suggested as a potential biomarker for response to treatment. Aims and objectives: To investigate if IP-10 from DPS and DBS can be used as a biomarker for response to treatment in EPTB in a low-resource setting. Methods: Thirty-two EPTB patients (5 culture or Xpert MTB/RIF positive and 27 clinically diagnosed) and eight pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients were included from a tertiary care hospital, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Blood samples were collected before, after 2 months and at the end of treatment. IP-10 levels in plasma, DPS and DBS were analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: For the EPTB patients there was a significant decline in IP-10 levels from baseline to end of treatment in plasma (median 660 pg/mL vs. 337 pg/mL, p Conclusion: IP-10 may serve as a biomarker for treatment efficacy in EPTB patients. Point-of-care tests as DPS and DBS allow for easy and manageable monitoring in low-resource settings.