Browsing by Author "Boom, W. Henry"
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Item Comprehensive definition of human immunodominant CD8 antigens in tuberculosis(NPJ vaccines, 2017) Lewinsohn, Deborah A.; Swarbrick, Gwendolyn M.; Park, Byung; Cansler, Meghan E.; Null, Megan D.; Toren, Katelynne G.; Baseke, Joy; Zalwango, Sarah; Mayanja-Kizza, Harriet; Malone, LaShaunda L.; Nyendak, Melissa; Wu, Guanming; Guinn, Kristi; McWeeney, Shannon; Mori, Tomi; Chervenak, Keith A.; Sherman, David R.; Boom, W. Henry; Lewinsohn, David M.Despite widespread use of the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine, tuberculosis, caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. As CD8+ T cells are critical to tuberculosis host defense and a phase 2b vaccine trial of modified vaccinia Ankara expressing Ag85a that failed to demonstrate efficacy, also failed to induce a CD8+ T cell response, an effective tuberculosis vaccine may need to induce CD8+ T cells. However, little is known about CD8, as compared to CD4, antigens in tuberculosis. Herein, we report the results of the first ever HLA allele independent genome-wide CD8 antigen discovery program. Using CD8+ T cells derived from humans with latent tuberculosis infection or tuberculosis and an interferon-γ ELISPOT assay, we screened a synthetic peptide library representing 10% of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome, selected to be enriched for Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens. We defined a set of immunodominant CD8 antigens including part or all of 74 Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteins, only 16 of which are previously known CD8 antigens. Immunogenicity was associated with the degree of expression of mRNA and protein. Immunodominant antigens were enriched in cell wall proteins with preferential recognition of Esx protein family members, and within proteins comprising the Mycobacterium tuberculosis secretome. A validation study of immunodominant antigens demonstrated that these antigens were strongly recognized in Mycobacterium tuberculosisinfected individuals from a tuberculosis endemic region in Africa. The tuberculosis vaccine field will likely benefit from this greatly increased known repertoire of CD8 immunodominant antigens and definition of properties of Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteins important for CD8 antigenicity.Item Distribution and transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex lineages among children in peri-urban Kampala, Uganda(BMC pediatrics, 2015) Wampande, Eddie M.; Mupere, Ezekiel; Jaganath, Devan; Nsereko, Mary; Mayanja, Harriet K.; Eisenach, Kathleen; Boom, W. Henry; Gagneu, Sebastien; Joloba, Moses L.To gain insight into the transmission of tuberculosis (TB) in peri-urban Kampala-Uganda, we performed a household contact study using children as a surrogate for recent transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Using this approach, we sought to understand M. tuberculosis complex (MTBC) lineage diversity, distribution and how these relate to TB transmission to exposed children. Method: MTBC isolates from children aged ≤ 15 years, collected from 2002 to 2010 in a household-contact study, were analyzed using a LightCycler RT-PCR SNP genotyping assay (LRPS). The resultant genotypic data was used to determine associations between MTBC lineage and the children’s clinical and epidemiological characteristics. Results and discussion: Of the 761 children surveyed, 9 % (69/761) had culture-positive TB an estimate in the range of global childhood TB; of these 71 % (49/69) were infected with an MTBC strain of the “Uganda family”, 17 % (12/69) infected with MTBC lineage 4 strains other than MTBC Uganda family and 12 % (8/69) infected with MTBC lineage 3, thereby disproportionately causing TB in the study area. Overall the data showed no correlation between the MTBC lineages studied and transmission (OR = 0.304; P-value = 0.251; CI: 95 %; 0.039-2.326) using children a proxy for TB transmission. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that MTBC Uganda family strains are the main cause of TB in children in peri-urban Kampala. Furthermore, MTBC lineages did not differ in their transmissibility to children.Item Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses during Acute M. tuberculosis Infection in Adult Household Contacts in Kampala, Uganda(The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 2011) Mahan, C. Scott; Zalwango, Sarah; Thiel, Bonnie A.; Malone, LaShaunda L.; Chervenak, Keith A.; Baseke, Joy; Dobbs, Dennis; Stein, Catherine M.; Mayanja, Harriet; Joloba, Moses; Whalen, Christopher C.; Boom, W. HenryContacts of active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients are at risk for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. Because most infections are controlled, studies during MTB infection provide insight into protective immunity. We compared immune responses of adult household contacts that did and did not convert the tuberculin skin test (TST). Innate and adaptive immune responses were measured by whole blood assay. Responses of TST converters (TSTC) were compared with persistently TST negative contacts (PTST–) and contacts who were TST+ at baseline (TST+). TLR-2, TLR-4, and IFN-gR responses to IFN-g did not differ between the groups, nor did gd T cell responses. T cell responses to MTB antigens differed markedly among TSTC, PTST–, and TST+ contacts. Thus, no differences in innate responses were found among the three household contact groups. However, adaptive T cell responses to MTB antigens did differ before and during MTB infection among PTST–, TSTC, and TST+ contacts.Item Lean Tissue Mass Wasting is Associated With Increased Risk of Mortality Among Women With Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Urban Uganda(Elsevier Inc., 2012) Mupere, Ezekiel; Malone, Lashaunda; Zalwango, Sarah; Chiunda, Allan; Okwera, Alphonse; Parraga, Isabel; Stein, Catherine M.; Tisch, Daniel J.; Mugerwa, Roy; Boom, W. Henry; Mayanja, Harriet; Whalen, Christopher C.OBJECTIVES: We assessed the impact of wasting on survival in patients with tuberculosis by using a precise height-normalized lean tissue mass index (LMI) estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis and body mass index (BMI). METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, 747 adult pulmonary patients with tuberculosis who were screened for HIV and nutritional status were followed for survival. RESULTS: Of 747 patients, 310 had baseline wasting by BMI (kg/m2) and 103 by LMI (kg/m2). Total deaths were 105. Among men with reduced BMI, risk of death was 70% greater (hazard ratio [HR] 1.7, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.03–2.81) than in men with normal BMI. Survival did not differ by LMI among men (HR 1.1; 95% CI 0.5–2.9). In women, both the BMI and LMI were associated with survival. Among women with reduced BMI, risk of death was 80% greater (HR 1.8; 95% CI 0.9–3.5) than in women with normal BMI; risk of death was 5-fold greater (HR 5.0; 95% CI 1.6–15.9) for women with low LMI compared with women with normal LMI. CONCLUSIONS: Wasting assessed by reduced BMI is associated with an increased risk for death among both men and women whereas reduced LMI is among women with tuberculosis.Item Linkage and association analysis of candidate genes for TB and TNFa cytokine expression: evidence for association with IFNGR1, IL-10, and TNF receptor 1 genes(Springer, 2007) Stein, Catherine M.; Zalwango, Sarah; Chiunda, Allan B.; Millard, Christopher; Leontiev, Dmitry V.; Horvath, Amanda L.; Cartier, Kevin C.; Chervenak, Keith; Boom, W. Henry; Elston, Robert C.; Mugerwa, Roy D.; Whalen, Christopher C.; Iyengar, Sudha K.Tuberculosis (TB) is a growing public health threat globally and several studies suggest a role of host genetic susceptibility in increased TB risk. As part of a household contact study in Kampala, Uganda, we have taken a unique approach to the study of genetic susceptibility to TB by developing an intermediate phenotype model for TB susceptibility, analyzing levels of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNFa) in response to culture filtrate as the phenotype. In the present study, we analyzed candidate genes related to TNFa regulation and found that interleukin (IL)-10, interferon-gamma receptor 1 (IFNGR1), and TNFa receptor 1 (TNFR1) genes were linked and associated to both TB and TNFa. We also show that these associations are with progression to active disease and not susceptibility to latent infection. This is the first report of an association between TB and TNFR1 in a human population and our findings for IL-10 and IFNGR1 replicate previous findings. By observing pleiotropic effects on both phenotypes, we show construct validity of our intermediate phenotype model, which enables the characterization of the role of these genetic polymorphisms on TB pathogenesis. This study further illustrates the utility of such a model for disentangling complex traits.Item Long-term Stability of Resistance to Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Highly Exposed Tuberculosis Household Contacts in Kampala, Uganda(Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2019) Stein, Catherine M.; Nsereko, Mary; Malone, LaShaunda L.; Okware, Brenda; Kisingo, Hussein; Nalukwago, Sophie; Chervenak, Keith; Mayanja-Kizza, Harriet; Hawn, Thomas R.; Boom, W. HenryResistance to latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection, identified by persistently negative tuberculin skin tests (TST) and interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA), after close contact with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients has not been extensively characterized. Stability of this “resistance” beyond 2 years from exposure is unknown. Methods. 407 of 657 eligible human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative adults from a TB household contact study with persistently negative TST (PTST−) or with stable latent M.tb infection (LTBI) were retraced 9.5 years (standard deviation = 3.2) later. Asymptomatic retraced contacts underwent 3 IGRAs and follow-up TST, and their M.tb infection status classified as definite/ possible/probable. Results. Among PTST− with a definite classification, 82.7% were concordantly TST−/ quantiferon-TB Gold− (QFT−), and 16.3% converted to TST+/QFT+ LTBI. Among original LTBI contacts, 83.6% remained LTBI, and 3.9% reverted their TST and were QFT−. Although TST and QFT concordance was high (κ = 0.78), 1.0% of PTST and 12.5% of original LTBI contacts could not be classified due to discordant TST and QFT results. Epidemiological variables did not differ between retraced PTST− and LTBI contacts. Conclusion. Resistance to LTBI, defined by repeatedly negative TST and IGRA, in adults who have had close contact with pulmonary TB patients living in TB-endemic areas, is a stable outcome of M.tb exposure. Repeated longitudinal measurements with 2 different immune assays and extended follow-up provide enhanced discriminatory power to identify this resister phenotype and avoid misclassification. Resisters may use immune mechanisms to control aerosolized M.tb that differ from those used by persons who develop “classic” LTBI.Item Mycobacterium tuberculosis Specific CD8+ T Cells Rapidly Decline with Antituberculosis Treatment(PLoS One, 2013) Nyendak, Melissa R.; Park, Byung; Null, Megan D.; Baseke, Joy; Swarbrick, Gwendolyn; Mayanja-Kizza4, Harriet; Nsereko, Mary; Johnson, Denise F.; Gitta, Phineas; Okwera, Alphonse; Goldberg, Stefan; Bozeman, Lorna; Johnson, John L.; Boom, W. Henry; Lewinsohn, Deborah A.; Lewinsohn, David M.; the Tuberculosis Research Unit and the Tuberculosis Trials ConsortiumBiomarkers associated with response to therapy in tuberculosis could have broad clinical utility. We postulated that the frequency of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) specific CD8+ T cells, by virtue of detecting intracellular infection, could be a surrogate marker of response to therapy and would decrease during effective antituberculosis treatment. We sought to determine the relationship of Mtb specific CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells with duration of antituberculosis treatment. We performed a prospective cohort study, enrolling between June 2008 and August 2010, of HIV-uninfected Ugandan adults (n = 50) with acid-fast bacillus smear-positive, culture confirmed pulmonary TB at the onset of antituberculosis treatment and the Mtb specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses to ESAT-6 and CFP-10 were measured by IFN-γ ELISPOT at enrollment, week 8 and 24.There was a significant difference in the Mtb specific CD8+ T response, but not the CD4+ T cell response, over 24 weeks of antituberculosis treatment (p<0.0001), with an early difference observed at 8 weeks of therapy (p = 0.023). At 24 weeks, the estimated Mtb specific CD8+ T cell response decreased by 58%. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the Mtb specific CD4+ T cell during the treatment. The Mtb specific CD4+ T cell response, but not the CD8+ response, was negatively impacted by the body mass index.Our data provide evidence that the Mtb specific CD8+ T cell response declines with antituberculosis treatment and could be a surrogate marker of response to therapy. Additional research is needed to determine if the Mtb specific CD8+ T cell response can detect early treatment failure, relapse, or to predict disease progression.Item Mycobacterium tuberculosis Specific CD8+ T Cells Rapidly Decline with Antituberculosis Treatment(PLoS ONE, 2013) Nyendak, Melissa R.; Byung, Park; Null, Megan D.; Baseke, Joy; Swarbrick, Gwendolyn; Mayanja-Kizza, Harriet; Nsereko, Mary; Johnson, Denise F.; Gitta, Phineas; Okwera, Alphonse; Goldberg, Stefan; Bozeman, Lorna; Johnson, John L.; Boom, W. HenryBiomarkers associated with response to therapy in tuberculosis could have broad clinical utility. We postulated that the frequency of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) specific CD8+ T cells, by virtue of detecting intracellular infection, could be a surrogate marker of response to therapy and would decrease during effective antituberculosis treatment. Objectives: We sought to determine the relationship of Mtb specific CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells with duration of antituberculosis treatment. Materials and Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study, enrolling between June 2008 and August 2010, of HIV uninfected Ugandan adults (n = 50) with acid-fast bacillus smear-positive, culture confirmed pulmonary TB at the onset of antituberculosis treatment and the Mtb specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses to ESAT-6 and CFP-10 were measured by IFN-c ELISPOT at enrollment, week 8 and 24. Results: There was a significant difference in the Mtb specific CD8+ T response, but not the CD4+ T cell response, over 24 weeks of antituberculosis treatment (p,0.0001), with an early difference observed at 8 weeks of therapy (p = 0.023). At 24 weeks, the estimated Mtb specific CD8+ T cell response decreased by 58%. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the Mtb specific CD4+ T cell during the treatment. The Mtb specific CD4+ T cell response, but not the CD8+ response, was negatively impacted by the body mass index. Conclusions: Our data provide evidence that the Mtb specific CD8+ T cell response declines with antituberculosis treatment and could be a surrogate marker of response to therapy. Additional research is needed to determine if the Mtb specific CD8+ T cell response can detect early treatment failure, relapse, or to predict disease progression.Item Resistance and Susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and Disease in Tuberculosis Households in Kampala, Uganda(Oxford University Press, 2017) Stein, Catherine M.; Zalwango, Sarah; Malone, LaShaunda L.; Thiel, Bonnie; Mupere, Ezekiel; Nsereko, Mary; Okware, Brenda; Kisingo, Hussein; Lancioni, Christina L.; Bark, Charles M.; Whalen, Christopher C.; Joloba, Moses L.; Boom, W. Henry; Mayanja-Kizza, HarrietTuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains a major public health problem. Household contact studies identify children and adults along the spectrum from Mtb exposure to disease. In the Kawempe Community Health Study (conducted in Kampala, Uganda), 872 culture-confirmed pulmonary TB cases and their 2,585 contacts were enrolled during 2002–2012 and followed for up to 2 years each. Risk factors identified by time-to-event analysis for secondary TB differed among children, women, and men. Younger age (P = 0.0061), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (P = 0.0002), thinness (P = 0.01), absent bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccination (P = 0.002), and epidemiologic risk score (P < 0.0001) were risks for children. For women, risks were HIV (P < 0.0001), thinness (World Health Organization criteria; P < 0.0001), and epidemiologic risk score (P = 0.003). For men, HIV (P = 0.0007) and low body mass index (P = 0.008) resulted in faster progression to TB. Tuberculin skin testing (TST) identified contacts with Mtb infection and those with persistently negative TST. Risks for faster time to Mtb infection were identified, and included age (P = 0.0007), baseline TST induration (P < 0.0001), and epidemiologic risk score (P < 0.0001) only in children. Those with persistently negative TST comprised 10% of contacts but had no unique epidemiologic characteristics among adults. The burden of Mtb infection and disease is high in TB households, and risk factors for progression from exposure to infection and disease differ among children, women, and men.Item Resistance to TST/IGRA conversion in Uganda: Heritability and Genome-Wide 2 Association Study(EBioMedicine, 2021) McHenry, Michael L.; Benchek, Penelope; Malone, LaShaunda; Nsereko, Mary; Mayanja-Kizza, Harriet; Boom, W. Henry; Williams, Scott M.; Hawn, Thomas R.; Stein, Catherine M.Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most deadly pathogens on earth. However, the majority of people have resistance to active disease. Further, some individuals, termed resisters (RSTRs), do not develop traditional latent tuberculosis (LTBI). The RSTR phenotype is important for understanding pathogenesis and preventing TB. The host genetic underpinnings of RSTR are largely understudied. Methods: In a cohort of 908 Ugandan subjects with genome-wide data on single nucleotide polymorphisms, we assessed the heritability of the RSTR phenotype and other TB phenotypes using restricted maximum likelihood estimation (REML). We then used a subset of 263 RSTR and LTBI subjects with high quality phenotyping and long-term follow-up to identify DNA variants genome-wide associated with the RSTR phenotype relative to LTBI subjects in a case- control GWAS design, and annotated and enriched these variants to better understand their role in TB pathogenesis. Results: The heritability of the TB outcomes was very high, at 55% for TB vs. LTBI and 50.4% for RSTR vs. LTBI among HIV- subjects, controlling for age and sex. We identified 27 loci associated with the RSTR phenotype (P<5e-05) and our annotation and enrichment analyses suggest an important regulatory role for many of them. Interpretation: The heritability results show that the genetic contribution to variation in TB outcomes is very high and our GWAS results highlight variants that may play an important role in resistance to infection as well as TB pathogenesis as a whole.Item Rhomboids of Mycobacteria: Characterization Using an aarA Mutant of Providencia stuartii and Gene Deletion in Mycobacterium smegmatis(Plos One, 2012) Kateete, David Patrick; Katabazi, Fred Ashaba; Okeng, Alfred; Okee, Moses; Musinguzi, Conrad; Asiimwe, Benon Byamugisha; Kyobe, Samuel; Asiimwe, Jeniffer; Boom, W. Henry; Joloba, Moses LutaakomeRhomboids are ubiquitous proteins with unknown roles in mycobacteria. However, bioinformatics suggested putative roles in DNA replication pathways and metabolite transport. Here, mycobacterial rhomboid-encoding genes were characterized; first, using the Providencia stuartii null-rhomboid mutant and then deleted from Mycobacterium smegmatis for additional insight in mycobacteria.Using in silico analysis we identified in M. tuberculosis genome the genes encoding two putative rhomboid proteins; Rv0110 (referred to as “rhomboid protease 1”) and Rv1337 (“rhomboid protease 2”). Genes encoding orthologs of these proteins are widely represented in all mycobacterial species. When transformed into P. stuartii null-rhomboid mutant (ΔaarA), genes encoding mycobacterial orthologs of “rhomboid protease 2” fully restored AarA activity (AarA is the rhomboid protein of P. stuartii). However, most genes encoding mycobacterial “rhomboid protease 1” orthologs did not. Furthermore, upon gene deletion in M. smegmatis, the ΔMSMEG_4904 single mutant (which lost the gene encoding MSMEG_4904, orthologous to Rv1337, “rhomboid protease 2”) formed the least biofilms and was also more susceptible to ciprofloxacin and novobiocin, antimicrobials that inhibit DNA gyrase. However, the ΔMSMEG_5036 single mutant (which lost the gene encoding MSMEG_5036, orthologous to Rv0110, “rhomboid protease 1”) was not as susceptible. Surprisingly, the double rhomboid mutant ΔMSMEG_4904–ΔMSMEG_5036 (which lost genes encoding both homologs) was also not as susceptible suggesting compensatory effects following deletion of both rhomboid-encoding genes. Indeed, transforming the double mutant with a plasmid encoding MSMEG_5036 produced phenotypes of the ΔMSMEG_4904 single mutant (i.e. susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and novobiocin).Mycobacterial rhomboid-encoding genes exhibit differences in complementing aarA whereby it's only genes encoding “rhomboid protease 2” orthologs that fully restore AarA activity. Additionally, gene deletion data suggests inhibition of DNA gyrase by MSMEG_4904; however, the ameliorated effect in the double mutant suggests occurrence of compensatory mechanisms following deletion of genes encoding both rhomboids.Item Secondary Attack Rate of Tuberculosis in Urban Households in Kampala, Uganda(PLoS ONE, 2011) Whalen, Christopher C.; Zalwango, Sarah; Chiunda, Allan; Malone, LaShaunda; Eisenach, Kathleen; Joloba, Moses; Boom, W. Henry; Mugerwa, RoyTuberculosis is an ancient disease that continues to threaten individual and public health today, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Current surveillance systems describe general risk of tuberculosis in a population but do not characterize the risk to an individual following exposure to an infectious case. Methods: In a study of household contacts of infectious tuberculosis cases (n = 1918) and a community survey of tuberculosis infection (N = 1179) in Kampala, Uganda, we estimated the secondary attack rate for tuberculosis disease and tuberculosis infection. The ratio of these rates is the likelihood of progressive primary disease after recent household infection. Results: The secondary attack rate for tuberculosis disease was 3.0% (95% confidence interval: 2.2, 3.8). The overall secondary attack rate for tuberculosis infection was 47.4 (95% confidence interval: 44.3, 50.6) and did not vary widely with age, HIV status or BCG vaccination. The risk for progressive primary disease was highest among the young or HIV infected and was reduced by BCG vaccination. Conclusions: Early case detection and treatment may limit household transmission of M. tuberculosis. Household members at high risk for disease should be protected through vaccination or treatment of latent tuberculosis infection.Item Sulfamethoxazole Susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates from HIV-Infected Ugandan Adults with Tuberculosis Taking Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Prophylaxis(Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 2015) Ogwang, Sam; Good, Caryn E.; Okware, Brenda; Nsereko, Mary; Jacobs, Michael R.; Boom, W. Henry; Bark, Charles M.Alternative drugs are urgently needed to treat multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB). Given the difficulties of new drug development, repurposing currently licensed antibiotics is practical and efficient. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT) is a fixed-dose drug combination used worldwide as treatment and prophylaxis for multiple infections. Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is in the sulfonamide class of antibiotics, which were explored as an anti-TB treatment in the mid-20th century with early studies showing potential value for the treatment of pulmonary and miliary TB (1–5). More recently, Forgacs et al. reported defervescence of a patient with pulmonary TB who was initially treated with SXT alone and also demonstrated in vitro susceptibility to SXT in 43 of 44 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates (6). These drug susceptibility results were independently confirmed in laboratory strains (7, 8) and in patient isolates demonstrating SMX to be the active agent with MICs within achievable serum levels (9, 10). In addition, Alsaad and colleagues reported the use of SXT as part of a combination regimen used to treat 10 patients with MDR-TB in the Netherlands (11). They also reported M. tuberculosis susceptibility to SXT in 17 of 18 patients with TB-HIV coinfection; however, only 1 was taking SXT prior to TB diagnosis (12). Given the development of drug resistance when active TB is treated with a single drug, there is concern for resistance to SMX among TBHIV- coinfected patients taking SXT prophylaxis. To address this concern, we performed drug susceptibility testing (DST) on M. tuberculosis isolates obtained from pretreatment sputum specimens of HIV-infected patients taking SXT prophylaxis at the time of diagnosis of active TB. Sputum isolates used for