IL-6 release of Rv0183 antigen-stimulated whole blood is a potential biomarker for active tuberculosis patients

Summary Objective New tests for diagnosing active tuberculosis (aTB) are urgently needed, and TB antigen-specific cell-mediated immunity can be expected to develop new testing methods of aTB. Materials and methods Rv0183 protein, the only monoglyceride lipase identified in mycobacteria, was used to stimulate freshly heparin-treated whole blood. The Rv0183-specific cytokines/chemokines response associated with aTB was screened firstly with 4 aTB patients and 4 LTBIs, and further evaluated in 192 suspected aTB patients and 372 healthy individuals. Results Out of 71 cytokines/chemokines, the response of IL-6 against Rv0183 protein was found to be associated with aTB. The Rv0183-specific IL-6 response was significantly higher in aTB patients (n = 128) than in those with non-TB lung disease (n = 64) and in healthy individuals (n = 327) (p  Conclusions These results clearly show that the Rv0183 antigen-specific IL-6 response has the potential to be used as an immune-diagnosis test for active TB in clinical practice.