ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2017
Analysis of Mycobacterium ulcerans-specific T-cell cytokines for diagnosis of Buruli ulcer disease and as potential indicator for disease progression.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cell-mediated and serology-based tests for Mycobacterium ulcerans disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2020Pooled it
- In Silico Identification of Potential Biomarker-Binding Proteins for Noninvasive Diagnosis of Buruli Ulcer Disease.Bioinformatics and biology insights · 2026Article
- Buruli ulcer.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2025Review
- Evaluation of an electricity-independent method for IS2404 Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) diagnosis of Buruli ulcer in resource-limited settings.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Memory B-cells are enriched in the blood of patients with acute Buruli ulcer disease: a prospective observational study.BMC infectious diseases · 2023Observational
- The One That Got Away: How Macrophage-Derived IL-1β Escapes the Mycolactone-Dependent Sec61 Blockade in Buruli Ulcer.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Article
- Identification and validation of host biomarkers for leprosy: A step forward to establish point-of-care tests.EBioMedicine · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBuruli ulcer disease (BUD), caused by Mycobacterium (M.) ulcerans, is the third most common mycobacterial disease after tuberculosis and leprosy. BUD causes necrotic skin lesions and is a significant problem for health care in the affected countries. As for other mycobacterial infections, T cell mediated immune responses are important for protection and recovery during treatment, but detailed studies investigating these immune responses in BUD patients are scarce. In this study, we aimed to characterise M. ulcerans-specific CD4+ T cell responses in BUD patients and to analyse specific cytokine-producing T cells in the context of disease severity and progression. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsFor this case-control study, whole blood samples of BUD patients (N = 36, 1.5-17 years of age) and healthy contacts (N = 22, 3-15 years of age) were stimulated with antigen prepared from M. ulcerans and CD4+ T cells were analysed for the expression of TNFα, IFNγ and CD40L by flow cytometry. The proportions and profile of cytokine producing CD4+ T cells was compared between the two study groups and correlated with disease progression and severity. Proportions of cytokine double-positive IFNγ+TNFα+, TNFα+CD40L+, IFNγ+CD40L+ (p = 0.014, p = 0.010, p = 0.002, respectively) and triple positive IFNγ+TNFα+CD40L+ (p = 0.010) producing CD4+ T cell subsets were increased in BUD patients. In addition, TNFα+CD40L-IFNγ- CD4+ T cells differed between patients and controls (p = 0.034). TNFα+CD40L-IFNγ- CD4+ T cells were correlated with lesion size (p = 0.010) and proportion were higher in 'slow' healers compared to 'fast healers' (p = 0.030).
conclusionsWe were able to identify M. ulcerans-specific CD4+ T cell subsets with specific cytokine profiles. In particular a CD4+ T cell subset, producing TNFα but not IFNγ and CD40L, showed association with lesion size and healing progress. Further studies are required to investigate, if the identified CD4+ T cell subset has the potential to be used as biomarker for diagnosis, severity and/or progression of disease.
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