Efficacy of IP-10 as a biomarker for monitoring tuberculosis teratment

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: IP-10 has been proposed as a promising alternative marker for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). METHODS: In this exploratory study, we assessed the levels of serum IP-10 and TB antigen-dependent IP-10 at the time of diagnosis and after completing treatment in 32 patients with active TB. RESULTS: Significant changes in concentration between the time of diagnosis and the completion of therapy were observed for serum IP-10 (P < 0.001; median: 140.4 and 105.7 pg/ml, respectively) and TB antigen-dependent IP-10 (P = 0.002; median: 20,000 and 13,720 pg/ml, respectively). The proportion of TB antigen-dependent IP-10 responders did not change significantly between baseline and the completion of therapy (P = 0.35), whereas the proportion of serum IP-10 responders was significantly different (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Serum IP-10 and TB antigen-dependent IP-10 responses to QFT-GIT antigens might be a useful biomarker for monitoring the efficacy of therapy in patients with active TB.