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Why do TB-HIV co-infected patients have elevated levels of LAM antigen in their urine?

April 26, 2017antigen co-infected elevated LAM levels Patients tb-hiv urine

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Why do TB-HIV co-infected patients have elevated levels of LAM antigen in their urine?

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In TB-HIV patients the inability of the body’s immune system to fight the spread of the infection results in high levels of bacteria in the blood which are metabolized by the kidneys and result in filtration of complete LAM antigen into the urine.4 Therefore, in TB-HIV patients it is possible to directly detect these elevated levels of LAM antigen in the urine. However, in patients with active TB who are not infected with HIV, LAM levels are below or at the low end of the assay’s detectable range due to the body’s immune response against TB.