Clinical Science (1998) 94,32 1-33 I (Printed in Great Britain)

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Whole body protein metabolism in human pulmonary tuberculosis and undernutrition: evidence for anabolic block in tuberculosis Derek C. MACALLAN, Margaret A. McNURLAN*, Anura V. KURPADt, George DE SOUZAt, Prakash S. SHEllYt, A. Graham CALDER* and George E. GRIFFIN Division of Infectious Diseases, St George's Hospital Medical School, London SWI 7 ORE, U.K., *Department of Surgery, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook. NY, U.S.A., tNutrition Research Centre, St john's Medical College, Bangalore, India, and #Rowett Research Institute, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB, U.K (Received I 3 May/ I8 November 1997; accepted I8 November 1997)

1. Differing patterns of protein metabolism are seen in wasting due to undernutrition and wasting due to chronic infection. 2. We investigated whole body energy and protein metabolism in nine subjects with pulmonary tuberculosis, six undernourished subjects (body mass index