الفهرس 
Introduction and aim of the workOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Tuberculosis is an ancient infection which remains one of the cause of higher morbidity and mortality in the world this is because of its great prevalence in the densely populated developing countries. One third of the World’s populations are infected with TB. The number of new cases each year is rising, mainly because of the increasing burden of HIV infection. Tuberculosis is spread from person to person through the air by DROPlet nuclei. Tuberculosis can affect many organ systems in the body such as the lymph nodes, meninges, kidneys, and bones. Pulmonary tuberculosis is the most common presentation, but extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) is also an important clinical problem. The laboratory diagnosis of TB depend upon the demonstration of M. tuberculosis in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens or serum samples from patients with TB by detection of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) or by culturing. Various immunoassays such as antigen and/or antibody detection can be used. In the present study CSF samples were obtained from 40 patients with meningitis, 5 patients with TB meningitis and 14 patients with diseases other than tuberculosis. The CSF samples were analyzed by 12% one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) under reducing conditions and stained with Coomassie blue stain. TB–55 mAb was used to detect the presence of TB antigen by using Western blot assay. A sharp band appeared in the selected CSF samples of TB meningitis patients. The molecular weight of the detected TB antigen was determined at 55-kDa. By using ELISA, TB-55 circulating antigen was detected. The OD cutoff level of ELISA was equal 0.24. Ten patients (25 %) were positive and 30 (75 %) of CSF samples were negative for the 55-kDa TB antigen. The individual level of IFN-γ cytokine was detected by using ELISA technique. A significant elevation in the mean level of IFN-γ in CSF of patients with positive 55 kDa-TB antigen than those with negative patients (P< 0.0001). The mean level of TNF-α was, also, significantly elevated in CSF of patients with positive 55 kDa-TB antigen than those of the negative patients (P< 0.0001). TB antigen detection could be used to identify TB infection in meningitis patients.