This study was done to assess the relation between serum mannose binding lectin (MBL) and disease activity and extension in patients with tuberculosis. Methods: The study included 50 pulmonary TB cases recruited from chest department at El Abasia and Tanta Chest Hospitals and 27 patients with other respiratory infections as a positive control group. Also 13 healthy subjects were included as a negative control group. Patients were classified as follows: 30 with active TB (group I), 20 with inactive TB (group II) and 27 with non-TB respiratory diseases as positive control group (group III). Full clinical evaluation, plain chest X-ray (postero-anterior & lateral views), routine laboratory investigations were done to all patients. MBL measurement in serum of all subjects was done by an ELISA assay. Results: No significant difference in MBL levels seen between males and females in all studied groups. MBL levels were significantly higher in group I & II than the other groups. MBL levels were non-significantly higher in active TB (group I) than inactive TB (group II) while they were significantly higher in active TB cases than in infectious respiratory diseases other than TB and non-infectious respiratory diseases. Levels were non-significantly higher in active TB cases than in controls. MBL levels were significantly higher in TB cases than in infectious respiratory diseases other than TB. 60% of active TB group has high MBL level versus 13.3% of non-TB respiratory infection cases and 8.3% of noninfectious respiratory diseases group. Only one patient with far advanced tuberculosis showed significantly higher levels of MBL than patients with minimal and moderate disease while no significant difference seen between patients with minimal and moderately advanced diseases. Conclusion: MBL is possibly related to increased susceptibility to tuberculosis. Its levels were nearly the same in both active and inactive tuberculous patients. There is a direct relation between levels of MBL and disease extension.
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