Validity of Antimycolic Acids Antibodies in the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in TB/HIV Co-infected Patients in Khartoum State, Sudan

This study aimed to determine antimycolic acid antibodies [IgG and IgM] among TB/HIV Co-infected patients in Khartoum State. Sputum and blood specimens were collected from patients attended Alsha'ab Teaching Hospital, Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory, Ibrahim Malik Hospital and Abu Anga Hospital; patients were all informed and consented. Direct smears from sputum samples of 90 suspected patients showed that 17 (18.9%) were acid fast bacilli positive while 73 (81.1%) were negative. The ninety sputum specimens were subjected to PCR to amplify IS6110 region specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The result showed that 79 (87.8%) were positive for IS6110 while 11 (12.2%) were negative. The 90 serum samples were investigated for HIV using dot plot technique, 9 samples (10%) were found HIV positive and they were all TB positive by PCR. 80 Serum samples were analyzed by ELISA, 16 (20%) gave positive result for antimycolic acid IgG while 64(80%) were negative and 55 (68.8%) were positive for antimycolic IgM, while 25 (31.3%) were negative. When HIV infection was correlated with specific antibodies for antimycolic acids, in 6 HIV positive samples, one (17 %) was positive and 5 (83 %) were negative for IgG, while 2 (33.3 %) were positive and 4 (67 %) were negative for IgM. This study concluded that patients with TB/HIV Co-infection have less capability of producing antimycolic acids antibodies, however, IgM antibodies could be of more serodiagnostic value.