The invention provides a method for identifying a subject suitable for receiving a lung transplant, the method comprising: subjecting a sample to mass spectrometry analysis (in the negative ion mode or positive ion mode; preferably in the positive ion mode) and generating a mass spectrum output; wherein said sample is an isolated sample obtained from a subject that is a candidate for receiving a lung transplant; detecting one or more peak set in said mass spectrum output; wherein the presence of said one or more peak set indicates that the subject is not a suitable candidate for receiving a lung transplant; or wherein the absence of said one or more peak set indicates that the subject is a suitable candidate for receiving a lung transplant. The invention relies on the detection of peak sets specific to the membrane of pathogens, in particular mycobacteria.

The present invention relates to methods and kits for detecting active tuberculosis infection in a subject using serological techniques and a first agent capable of binding an IgG, IgA and/or IgM directed to the first protein present in or on a Mycobacterium tuberculosis membrane vesicle or a Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) membrane vesicle. Also provided are methods of treating a subject with an active tuberculosis disease.

Gene expression signatures and pathways associated with tuberculosis are identified. The invention provides for diagnostic assays based on gene markers and cell composition, as well as therapeutic targets for modulating tuberculosis infection. In addition, tuberculosis copy number contained in cells and methods of detecting high and low copy number are disclosed.

The present disclosure provides methods, reagents, systems, and devices that target β lactamase as a biomarker for the sensitive and specific detection of tuberculosis-complex bacteria. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to methods and compositions for the detection of specific β-lactamase protein and nucleic acid sequences to indicate the presence of tuberculosis-complex bacteria.

Provided herein are systems for and methods of capturing, detecting, quantifying, and characterizing target moieties that are characterized by having a lipophilic portion of sufficient size and chemical composition whereby the target moiety inserts (or partitions) into a lipid assembly. Examples of such assays employ synthetic lipid constructs such as supported bilayers which are used to capture target moieties; other example assays exploit the natural absorption of compounds into natural lipid constructs such as HDL or LDL particles or cell membranes to capture target moieties. In specific embodiments, the target moieties are bacterial pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP) molecules or compounds not yet identified as PAMP molecules. Also provided are methods of determining PAMP molecule fingerprints and profiles that are linked to (indicative of) bacterial infection, disease states or progression, development of antibiotic resistance, and so forth, as well as these fingerprints, profiles and methods of using them.

The present invention refers to the use of gene sequences or portions thereof characterized in that the same belong to the classes of in vitro and ex vivo induced, repressed or conserved genes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis currently infected human macrophages and to corresponding peptides or consensus peptides or proteins for the preparation of specific bio-markers for the diagnosis and prevention of active or latent disease.

Provided are methods of detecting a marker for active tuberculosis, and a portable device for carrying out a method of detecting a marker for active tuberculosis. Also provided is a system for carrying out a method of detecting a marker for active tuberculosis, a method for pre-treating a sample stream from a human or animal suspected of having active tuberculosis, a system for pre-treating a sample stream from a human or animal suspected of having active tuberculosis and kits for performing said methods.

Subject of the invention is a composition comprising at least one fragment of the peptide ESAT-6 and at least one fragment of the peptide CFP-10. Preferably, the fragments comprise at least two sets of peptides, a first set comprising at least one peptide of from about 7 to 14 amino acid residues in length and a second set comprising at least one peptide of from 16 amino acid residues or greater. The invention also relates to diagnostic methods using the composition.

The invention relates to a method of detecting the presence of cancer in a subject based on a panel of biomarkers comprising Hexanal, Heptanal, Octanal, Decanal, Benzaldehyde, Phenylacetaldehyde, Undecane and Benzoic acid in exhaled breath obtained from a subject. The disclosure also teaches a method of detecting tuberculosis and to distinguish the detection of tuberculosis from cancer or to distinguish the detection of cancer from tuberculosis.

The present invention concerns a composition comprising at least three peptides derived from Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen Rv2626c, its use in the diagnostic of latently infected Mycobacterium tuberculosis (LTBI) subjects, corresponding methods of use and kits.