Conserved Immune Recognition Hierarchy of Mycobacterial PE/PPE Proteins during Infection in Natural Hosts
Figure 3
Immune responses to PE/PPE proteins in humans with active and latent infection.
PBMC from M. tuberculosis-sensitized individuals were stimulated with PE/PPE peptide pools, and IFN-γ producing cells were enumerated by ELISPOT. (A) Proportion responders to all PE/PPE pools analyzed. Grey bars, individuals with latent infection; Black bars, individuals with active infection. (B) Number of IFN-γ producing cells measured after stimulation with PE/PPE peptide pools. White symbols, individuals with latent infection; Black symbols, individuals with active infection. No statistically significant differences were observed between responses in individuals with latent and active infection for any of the peptide pools analyzed (as determined by Mann Whitney U test). Results for a representative set of pools shown, horizontal lines indicate median responses.