Heterogeneous antibody responses in tuberculosis.

Antibody responses during tuberculosis were analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with a panel of 10 protein antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It was shown that serum immunoglobulin G antibodies were produced against a variety of M. tuberculosis antigens and that the vast majority of sera from tuberculosis patients contained antibodies against one or more M. tuberculosis antigens. The number and the species of serologically reactive antigens varied greatly from individual to individual. In a given serum, the level of specific antibodies also varied with the antigen irrespective of the total number of antigens recognized by that particular serum. These findings indicate that person-to-person heterogeneity of antigen recognition, rather than recognition of particular antigens, is a key attribute of the antibody response in tuberculosis.