[IgG against A60 antigen and the tuberculin test in healthy individuals and tubercular patients]. / IgG frente al antígeno A60 y prueba de la tuberculina en individuos sanos y enfermos tuberculosos.

BACKGROUND: Study of the relation between the antibodies against the A60 antigen and the tuberculin test. METHODS: An indirect ELISA for detecting serum antibodies (IgG) against the antigen A60 and tuberculin test, has been applied to 20 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, and 52 healthy persons without tuberculous history. RESULTS: For the all people (healthy and patients) both techniques have had almost identical results in 76.4%. In the healthy people the ELISA A60 and tuberculin test positive results were: 20.7% and 26.9%, respectively. For the patients group this results were: 85% and 80%. These results were statistically significant (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In the healthy people the antibodies response against A60 antigen has a direct relationship with the results of the tuberculin test. The combined use of ELISA A60 and the tuberculin test improve their separate results.

[Antibodies against mycobacterial antigens in patients with non-tuberculous pathology]. / Anticuerpos frente a antígenos micobacterianos en enfermos con patología no tuberculosa.

Antibodies (type IgG) against the A 60 antigen (Mycobacterium bovis, BCG) and an antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were studied by ELISA in 79 patients with not tuberculous disease: 16 lung carcinoma, 16 hepatic cirrhosis and 47 patients with pulmonary disease. 59.5% and 50.6% of the patients showed antibodies against antigen A 60 and M. tuberculosis antigen respectively; more 25% were strongly positive against antigen A 60; in the patients with lung carcinoma this results were 62.5%. It is concluded than when this methods are use in the serologic diagnostic of tuberculosis the number of cirrhotic and not tuberculous pulmonary disease patients with antibodies against this antigens, obliges a careful study of the individual characteristics of each patient, and it is very important previously to discard a lung neoplastic pathology.

[Serological diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis using ELISA and the A60 antigen]. / Diagnóstico serológico de la tuberculosis pulmonar mediante ELISA y el antígeno A60.

BACKGROUND: Study of the utility of a serologic technic in the clinic diagnostic of the pulmonary tuberculosis. METHODS: An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting serum antibodies (IgG) against the antigen A60 has been applied to 170 tuberculosis patients (151 adults and 19 children) and 35 healthy children not protected with BCG. RESULTS: The ELISA results obtained with tuberculosis patients were: 84.8% positive IgG in adults and 21.1% in children. The percentage of serologically positive cases in healthy children against the antigen A60 was 11.5%. All the results were statistically significant (p less than 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This test can be successfully applied as a support technique in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in adults, it will be necessary to know the endemic situation in each community analysed.

[Effect of chemotherapy on the antibody response to A60 antigen]. / Influencia de la quimioterapia en la respuesta de anticuerpos frente al antígeno A60.

BACKGROUND: Study of the serologic response in two groups of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis: with and without treatment. METHODS: Antibodies (type IgG) against the A60 antigen were studied in 103 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis: 46 without specific treatment and 57 after the application of the chemotherapy. RESULTS: 81.6% of the patients showed antibodies against the A60 antigen and 60.2% were strongly positive; 32.6% and 41.3% of the patients without treatment were negative and strongly positive respectively. In the patients with treatment this results were 7% and 75.4%. The differences found between both groups were statistically significant (p less than 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the application of the specific treatment modify in a high percentage the response of antibody against A60 antigen and which reduced the false negatives response, this fact could condition the clinic utility of the test.