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

SummaryObjectivesIP-10 has been proposed as a promising alternative marker for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB).MethodsIn 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.ResultsSignificant 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).ConclusionsSerum 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.