Tuberculoosin

Tuberculoosin is a term that has appeared in some medical literature to denote a proposed purified antigen or protein derivative from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, intended for immunodiagnostic use. It is not a standardized, widely recognized substance and should not be conflated with tuberculin or purified protein derivative (PPD). The term has largely fallen out of use in modern TB diagnostics.

The term emerged in the mid-20th century during exploration of skin test reagents analogous to tuberculin. Different research groups described their own preparations, often mixtures of culture filtrates or recombinant proteins, with varying degrees of purity. No consensus on composition or production.

There is no single specification for tuberculoosin. Reported preparations varied from crude culture filtrates to partially purified fractions containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens. The immunological effect is to elicit delayed-type hypersensitivity in individuals previously exposed to TB; however, reliability and specificity were concerns.

Because it is not standardized or approved for clinical use, tuberculoosin is primarily of historical or research interest. Clinically, current diagnostic tools rely on tuberculin PPD or interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs). Potential adverse reactions mirror those of other protein-based skin test reagents, including local inflammation and, rarely, systemic hypersensitivity.

See also: Tuberculin, Mantoux test, PPD, IGRA, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.