Serum chitotriosidase activity in pulmonary tuberculosis: response to treatment and correlations with clinical parameters

Chitotriosidase is an accepted marker of macrophage activation. In this study, we investigated serum chitotriosidase levels in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Forth-two patients with PTB and 30 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. The radiological extent of PTB, radiological sequela after treatment, and the degree of smear positivity were assessed. Chitotriosidase levels were measured by a fluorometric method. The serum chitotriosidase levels of the PTB patients were significantly higher than those of the control subjects (39.73±24.97 vs. 9.63±4.55 nmol/mL/h, P