Local anti-P32 humoral response in tuberculous meningitis.

We report five cases of severe pulmonary tuberculosis admitted to hospital with a suspicion of meningeal involvement. The diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis was confirmed by standard bacteriological techniques in two of the five patients. Specific IgG class antibodies directed against the recently purified BCG antigen P32 were detected by a dot immunoblotting technique in the serum and in the cerebrospinal fluid of each patient; however, a higher anti-P32 immunoglobulins/total immunoglobulins ratio was observed in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with tuberculous meningitis than in their serum while the reverse situation was observed in the other patients.