level of interferon gamma in the blood of tuberculosis patients

background: interferon gamma (ifn-γ), a cytokine produced by a variety of cells is involved in the immune response against m. tuberculosis. it activates the production of other cytokines and molecules that kill mycobacterium. ifn-γ also has diagnostic role in identification of active and latent tuberculosis. objective: to determine the level of ifn-γ in the blood of tb patients. methods: ninety-one subjects were selected, including 54 active tb patients and 37 healthy controls. among 54 tb patients, 27 had confirmed tb and 27 were clinically diagnosed as having tb. ifn-γ concentration was determined in their blood by an elisa technique. results: in tb patients, mean + sd of ifn-γ was 48.69 + 28.78 pg/ml while it was 12.99 + 5.70pg/ml in the control group (p