BACKGROUND The QuantiFERON-TB-Gold Test (QFT) is more specific than the Mantoux skin-test to discriminate between Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections. Here we study the performance of the QFT in patients with NTM disease. METHODS From 2005 to 2011, nationwide patient data on positive NTM cultures (n = 925) were combined with nationwide data on Q...

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT-GIT) in detecting latent tuberculosis in immunocompromised patients before introducing tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) antagonists. The study included 300 subjects of similar age. The study group comprised of 150 QuantiFERON (QFT) positive subjects with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative ...

Objective. Use of tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) and interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs) as part of tuberculosis (TB) screening among immigrants from high TB-burden countries has not been fully evaluated. Methods. Prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (MTBI) based on TST, or the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (QFT-G), was determined among immigrant applicants in Vietnam bound for the U...

OBJECTIVE To assess the utility of QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-tube (QFT-GIT) for targeting preventive therapy in BCG-vaccinated contacts of tuberculosis (TB), based on its high specificity and negative predictive value for development of TB. METHODS We compared two screening strategies for TB contact tracing in two consecutive periods: the tuberculin skin test (TST) period, when all contacts wer...

BACKGROUND While many North American healthcare institutions are switching from Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) to Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs), there is relatively limited data on association between occupational tuberculosis (TB) risk factors and test positivity and/or patterns of test discordance. METHODS We recruited a cohort of Canadian health care workers (HCWs) in Montreal, and p...

n Society ht cense. Abstract Background: It is difficult to diagnose tuberculosis (TB) in dialysis patients because of the high rate of extrapulmonary TB in these patients compared with the general population. Recently, a new diagnostic test called QuantiFERON(QFT) has been developed and shown promise as a diagnostic tool for active TB diseases and latent TB infection. The aim of the present st...

BACKGROUND In settings with low background prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) infection, interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) could be useful for diagnosing active TB. This study aims to evaluate the performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G) in the investigation for suspected active TB, with particular attention to patients originating in high-incidence countries. Furthermore, factors associate...

BACKGROUND Among HIV-1-infected individuals, cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation and disease occur in the setting of advanced immunosuppression. The value of a standardized assessment of CMV-specific T-cell mediated immunity by the CMV QuantiFERON assay (CMV-QFT) has not yet been thoroughly investigated in HIV-1-infected subjects. METHODS Prospective, longitudinal study in 153 HIV-1-infected s...

Screening for active tuberculosis (TB) and latent TB infection (LTBI) is mandatory prior to the initiation of tumour necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor therapy. However, no agreement exists on the best strategy for detecting LTBI in this population. The aim of the present study was to analyse the performance of the tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold in-tube (QFT-GIT) on LTBI detect...

We evaluated the usefulness of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) in the diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB) in routine clinical practice. We retrospectively assessed the diagnostic usefulness of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-IT) test in 519 consecutive patients who were suspected of having active pulmonary TB and had QFT-IT test results. Active pulmonary TB was diagnosed in 242 p...