NoteDevelopment of real-time immuno-PCR for the quantitative detection of mycobacterial PstS1 in tuberculosis patients

•Real-time immuno-PCR (RT-I-PCR) was developed to detect mycobacterial PstS1.•A range of 10 ng/mL-1 pg/mL of PstS1 was detected by RT-I-PCR in TB patients.•This is the first report to quantify PstS1 by RT-I-PCR in TB samples.

A novel indirect real-time immuno-polymerase chain reaction (RT-I-PCR) assay, an evolution of I-PCR, was developed for the quantitative detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis PstS1 (Rv0934) with a wide dynamic range of 10 ng/mL to 1 pg/mL in body fluids of tuberculosis (TB) patients, which may monitor the dynamics of disease.