Abstract
BackgroundIn the search for fast, simple and better ways for diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), there is need to discover and evaluate new biomarkers that are found in samples other than sputum to determine their effectiveness. This study examined the utility of saliva vis-a-vis serum by evaluating levels of biomarkers found in saliva and serum from TB suspects.MethodsStudy enrolled tuberculosis suspects. Sputum MGIT was used as the gold standard for active TB. Quantiferon gold-In tube assay was done to identify exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb). Multiplex assay was run for 10 markers using a 10 plex customized kit from Bio-Rad Laboratories.ResultsThere was a significant difference between saliva and serum marker levels. Saliva had significantly higher levels of GM-CSF and VEGF. Serum had higher levels of MIP-1a, b, TNF-a, G-CSF and IFN-g. Serum levels of IL-6, VEGF and TNF-a were significantly different between participants with active TB disease and those with other respiratory diseases.ConclusionSalivary TB biomarkers are worth the search to evaluate their ability to differentiate between TB disease states for generation of a non invasive point of care test for TB diagnosis.
Highlights
In the search for fast, simple and better ways for diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), there is need to discover and evaluate new biomarkers that are found in samples other than sputum to determine their effectiveness
We evaluated the expression of host biomarkers in serum in comparison to saliva, and further investigated whether any of these biomarkers had potential in differentiating active TB disease from latent or no TB infection, in individuals with presumed TB disease, recruited from Mulago hospital study site in Uganda
Study participants Participants enrolled in this study were part of a bigger African European Tuberculosis consortium (AETBC) study that started in November 2010 and ended in December 2012
Summary
In the search for fast, simple and better ways for diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), there is need to discover and evaluate new biomarkers that are found in samples other than sputum to determine their effectiveness. The gold standard has a long turnaround time (up to 42 days) [3], whereas the recently developed GeneXpert MTB/RIF test (Cepheid Inc., Sunnyvale, USA), rapid, is expensive, amongst other limitations which hamper its use in resource-poor countries [4]. All these tests depend on the quality of sputum provided by the patient, to yield reliable results. This is highly problematic in children who cannot cough, and in individuals with extra pulmonary TB
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