@article{2807,
  keywords = {Amino Acid Sequence, Antigens, Bacterial, Bacterial Proteins, Cross Reactions, Humans, Interferon-gamma, leprosy, Molecular Sequence Data, Mycobacterium leprae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, T-Lymphocytes, Tuberculosis},
  author = {Geluk A and Meijgaarden K and Franken K and Subronto Y and Wieles B and Arend SM and Sampaio E and Boer T and Faber WR and Naafs B and Ottenhoff T},
  title = {Identification and characterization of the ESAT-6 homologue of Mycobacterium leprae and T-cell cross-reactivity with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.},
  abstract = {<p>In this paper we describe identification and characterization of Mycobacterium leprae ESAT-6 (L-ESAT-6), the homologue of M. tuberculosis ESAT-6 (T-ESAT-6). T-ESAT-6 is expressed by all pathogenic strains belonging to the M. tuberculosis complex but is absent from virtually all other mycobacterial species, and it is a promising antigen for immunodiagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). Therefore, we analyzed whether L-ESAT-6 is a similarly powerful tool for the study of leprosy by examining T-cell responses against L-ESAT-6 in leprosy patients, TB patients, and exposed or nonexposed healthy controls from areas where leprosy and TB are endemic and areas where they are not endemic. L-ESAT-6 was recognized by T cells from leprosy patients, TB patients, individuals who had contact with TB patients, and healthy individuals from an area where TB and leprosy are endemic but not by T cells from individuals who were not exposed to M. tuberculosis and M. leprae. Moreover, leprosy patients who were not responsive to M. leprae failed to respond to L-ESAT-6. A very similar pattern was obtained with T-ESAT-6. These results show that L-ESAT-6 is a potent M. leprae antigen that stimulates T-cell-dependent gamma interferon production in a large proportion of individuals exposed to M. leprae. Moreover, our results suggest that there is significant cross-reactivity between T-ESAT-6 and L-ESAT-6, which has implications for the use of ESAT-6 as tool for diagnosis of leprosy and TB in areas where both diseases are endemic.</p>},
  year = {2002},
  journal = {Infection and immunity},
  volume = {70},
  pages = {2544-8},
  month = {2002 May},
  issn = {0019-9567},
  url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC127910/pdf/1187.pdf},
  doi = {10.1128/iai.70.5.2544-2548.2002},
  language = {eng},
}