Tuberkulose (eng.)

Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially deadly infectious disease with high morbidity. TB is caused mainly by Mycobacterium tuberculosis . TB most commonly attacks the lungs (as pulmonary TB) but can affect all other organs in the body.

An increasing problem
Worldwide there is an increasing incidence of TB. In 2005, mortality and morbidity statistics included 14.6 million chronic active TB cases, 8.9 million new cases, and 1.6 million deaths, mostly in developing countries. New infections occur at a rate of one per second. Over one-third of the world's population has been exposed to the TB bacterium.

Not everyone infected develops the full-blown disease, so asymptomatic, latent TB infection is most common. Normally one in ten latent infections will progress to active TB disease. The risk of progressing to active TB is significantly increased if the individual immune system is compromised by immunosuppressive drugs, alcohol, malnutrition or HIV/AIDS.

The increase in TB incidence in Sub-Saharan Africa is strongly linked to the increase in HIV. In the western world TB is increasing in patients receiving immunosuppressive chemotherapy for various reasons.

New ways of detecting latent TB are needed
The tools for detecting recent infection and latent TB have been poor and limited to the Tuberculin skin test and chest X-rays . Recently a whole new generation of diagnostic tests, based on IFN- g release in response to M. Tuberculosis specific antigens, have been launched (QuantiFERON® Gold In Tube test). These tests hold a much higher specificity and sensitivity compared to the TST test. Despite the high specificity of these markers their sensitivity is not satisfying.

The TB group at Hvidovre Hospital is currently focusing on improved diagnostic methods based on clinical alegorithms combined with detection of in-vitro cellular responses. A potentially more sensitive biomarker than IFN- g , CXCL10/IP-10, has been identified as a promising tool for detection of latent TB infection adults and in children. We are testing the value of the biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis and evaluation of treatment effect.

Seniorforsker i tuberkulose, se her.