BACKGROUND The tuberculin skin test (TST) is the standard test used to screen for latent TB infection (LTBI) in the northern Canadian territory of Nunavut. Interferon gamma release assays (IGRA) are T cell blood-based assays to diagnose LTBI. The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is part of the routine immunization schedule in Nunavut. The objective of this study was to test the feasibilit...

BACKGROUND The screening of both healthcare workers and students attending teaching hospitals for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is recommended in hospitals of many countries with a low-incidence of TB, including Italy, as a fundamental tool of tuberculosis (TB) control programs. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of LTBI and evaluate the main risk-factors associated with...

Occupational latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among health care workers (HCWs) is an important public health issue. The objective of this study is to assess prevalence and risk factors of LTBI among Japanese HCWs by Quantiferon-TB Gold in Tube (QFT-GIT) and the structured questionnaire. This is a cross-sectional study involving HCWs from a hospital without tuberculosis-specific wards, recei...

BACKGROUND A Tuberculin skin test (TST) survey was conducted to assess the prevalence of latent TB Infection (LTBI) and to estimate the annual risk of M. tuberculosis infection (ARTI) in Gambian school children. The results are expected to contribute to understanding of Tuberculosis epidemiology in The Gambia. METHODS This was a nationwide, multi-cluster survey in children aged 6-11 years. Di...

The performance of the interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs) and tuberculin skin test (TST) was reviewed retrospectively in patients with psoriasis, inflammatory musculoskeletal diseases, or miscellaneous inflammatory conditions. The study was carried out over a 22-month period using 109 records of patients with psoriasis (n = 21), musculoskeletal disease (n = 74), or other inflammatory condi...

BACKGROUND Data on the performance of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs), QuantiFERON TB Gold In-tube (QFNGIT) and T-Spot.TB, in diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) are limited in Southeast Asia. This study aims to compare the performances of the two IGRAs and TST in Thai children with recent TB exposure. METHODS This multicenter, prospective study enrolled children with recent exposure to acti...

BACKGROUND Drug-specific CD8+ TH1 lymphocytes have been found in the peripheral blood and involved skin of patients with drug-induced bullous exanthems. OBJECTIVES To determine whether the interferon-gamma release test can identify culprit drugs in pemphigus patients. METHODS Clinical and laboratory workup for pemphigus was performed in 14 pemphigus vulgaris patients who had been exposed to...

The hypothesis that T-cell interferon-gamma responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antigens decline as disease activity diminishes with tuberculosis (TB) treatment has generated interest in the interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) as treatment-monitoring tools. We studied the effect of TB treatment on these responses as measured by the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-tube (QFT-IT) and T-SPO...

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...

Interferon Gamma Release Assays (IGRAs) were developed for the indirect or immunologic diagnosis of tuberculosis infection; however, they have also been used to assist in difficult to diagnose cases of tuberculosis disease in adults, and to a lesser extent, in children, especially in those under 5 years old. We evaluated the utility of using an IGRA in pediatric tuberculosis in younger children...