The significance of detecting interferon-γ,adenosine deaminase and neopterin in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion

Objective:To evaluate the significance of determination of the activity of adenosine deaminase(ADA),and the level of interferon(IFN-γ) and neopterin(Npt) in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis.Methods:Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and couple velocity assay were used to detect the activity of ADA,and the level of IFN-γ and neopterin in 43 patients with tuberculous pleuritis and 38 patients with pleural effusion associated with malignant tumor or other causes and the receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves were also protracted.Results:The activity of ADA,and the level of IFN-γ and neopterin(P0.05) were significantly higher in the tuberculous effusion than the fluid associated with other causes.Conclusion:Detection of IFN-γ,ADA and Npt of pleural fluid may be helpful in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis.