Mycobacterial Antibodies Against BCG and M.Tuberculosis H37RA Do Not Recognize Pathogenic M.Tuberculosis Cells but Do Recognize Their Cytoplasmic Constituents

The humoral immune response against mycobacterial path ogens and BGG vaccine is still poorly understood. It is not known if antibodies raised against BGG react with all patho genic M. tuberculosis strains. The question arose during the development of a tuberculosis detection system based on antibodies . It was found that antibodies raised against cells of avirulent TB strain H37Ra and against whole sonicates of BGG do not react consistently with whole cells of patho genic TB strains and very poorly with whole BGG cells. These antibodies; however, react very well with the intemal components of the BGG cell (i.e. A 60 and cytoplasmic constituents) (Tanaffos 2006 5(4): 15·21).