| abstract |
The present invention proposes a novel diagnostic principle. Test systems capable of detecting infections of, for example, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Leishman's flagetworm or chlamydia are based on measuring the stimulation following chemokine IP-10 of immune cells with proteins / peptides of the antigen.n n n The test system IP-10 described is more sensitive than tests based on IFN-γ as effect parameters, which improves testing and diagnosis. The test can be performed using less blood because the sample can be diluted at the time of incubation or before analysis. The test can be performed at shorter incubation times. In addition, the test system may allow for differentiation between the various stages of infection, such as, for example, active, recent and latent TB infection.n n n In short, the present invention provides a mammal comprising the steps of culturing a sample obtained from a mammal having at least one antigen, determining an IP-10 level of the sample, and comparing the determined IP-10 level with a reference-level, Determining whether there was previously an antigen that elicited an immunological response to this antigen or previously had another antigen that elicited an immunological cross-reaction to the antigen. Can be. |