M. tuberculosis Peptide based Point-of care test for TB

Methods Immunodominant regions of 3 Mycobacterium tuberculosis specific cell–wall proteins that are highly immunogenic in HIVTB+ and HIV+TB+ patients have been mapped. Antibodies to these regions are absent in subjects with latent TB, BCG vaccination, other pulmonary diseases. To examine the feasibility of devising a peptide based rapid POC test, selected peptides were conjugated to a carrier protein using standard EDC/NHS coupling chemistry, purified by size exclusion; the peptide conjugation confirmed using MALDI MSMS before adsorption onto colloidal gold and striping onto nitrocellulose. The assay parameters were adjusted to determine positive/negative status within 15 minutes via visual or instrumented assessment.