Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, May 2001, p. 571-578, Vol. 8, No. 3
TB Research Group1 and
TB Diagnostic Section,3 Department of
Bacterial Diseases, Veterinary Laboratories Agency-Weybridge, New
Haw, Addlestone KT15 3NB, and Ministry of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food, State Veterinary Service, Exeter EX5
1DY,2 United Kingdom
Received 24 July 2000/Returned for modification 6 December
2000/Accepted 9 February 2001
In Great Britain an independent scientific review for the
government has concluded that the development of a cattle vaccine against Mycobacterium bovis infection holds the best
long-term prospect for tuberculosis control in British herds. A
precondition for vaccination is the development of a complementary
diagnostic test to differentiate between vaccinated animals and those
infected with M. bovis so that testing and
slaughter-based control strategies can continue alongside vaccination.
To date bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), an attenuated strain of
M. bovis, is the only available vaccine for the
prevention of tuberculosis. However, tests based on tuberculin purified
protein derivative cannot distinguish between M. bovis
infection and BCG vaccination. Therefore, specific antigens expressed
by M. bovis but absent from BCG constitute prime
candidates for differential diagnostic reagents. Recently, two such
antigens, ESAT-6 and CFP-10, have been reported to be promising
candidates as diagnostic reagents for the detection of M.
bovis infection in cattle. Here we report the identification of
promiscuous peptides of CFP-10 that were recognized by M.
bovis-infected cattle. Five of these peptides were formulated
into a peptide cocktail together with five peptides derived from
ESAT-6. Using this peptide cocktail in T-cell assays, M.
bovis-infected animals were detected, while BCG-vaccinated or
Mycobacterium avium-sensitized animals did not respond.
The sensitivity of the peptide cocktail as an antigen in a whole-blood
gamma interferon assay was determined using naturally infected field
reactor cattle, and the specificity was determined using blood from
BCG-vaccinated and noninfected, nonvaccinated animals. The sensitivity
of the assay in cattle with confirmed tuberculosis was found to be
77.9%, with a specificity of 100% in BCG-vaccinated or nonvaccinated
animals. This compares favorably with the specificity of tuberculin
when tested in noninfected or vaccinated animals. In summary, our
results demonstrate that this peptide cocktail can discriminate between
M. bovis infection and BCG vaccination with a high
degree of sensitivity and specificity.
1071-412X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.8.3.571-578.2001
Use of Synthetic Peptides Derived from the
Antigens ESAT-6 and CFP-10 for Differential Diagnosis
of Bovine Tuberculosis in Cattle
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: TB Research
Group, Department of Bacterial Diseases, Veterinary Laboratories
Agency-Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone KT15 3NB, United Kingdom. Phone:
44 1932 357 884. Fax: 44 1932 357 684. E-mail:
mvordermeier.vla{at}gtnet.gov.uk.
This article has been cited by other articles:
| Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. | Clin. Microbiol. Rev. | Infect. Immun. |
|---|---|---|
| J. Clin. Microbiol. | J. Virol. | ALL ASM JOURNALS |