Host-parasite relationship in susceptibility to tuberculosis

Objective

Vaccine candidates are emerging but the time and cost of TB clinical trials prohibits their evaluation. Surrogate markers are needed. Cells from carefully followed up contacts who do or do not develop disease are being studied forcytokine expression by RT-PCR in 3 African centres. VACSIS will add a 4th centre, upgrade technology to real time RT-PCR, and study markers of apoptosis that play a role in immune response regulation in TB. Meanwhile patients TB strains will by typed for polymorphisms in DNA repair genes, and this will be related to disease severity, transmission and immunology

Programme(s)

• FP5-INCO 2 - Programme for research, technological development and demonstration on "Confirming the international role of Community research,1998-2002"

Funding Scheme

Coordinator

Participants (5)