Journal article
Absence of interferon-gamma release assay conversion following tuberculin skin testing
N Ritz, C Yau, TG Connell, M Tebruegge, D Leslie, N Curtis
International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease | INT UNION AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS LUNG DISEASE (I U A T L D) | Published : 2011
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The tuberculin skin test (TST) has been the established screening method for tuberculosis (TB) for over a century. Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) using Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antigens are increasingly used as diagnostic tests for TB. Tuberculin comprises multiple antigens, including the antigens used in the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assay. Exposure to these antigens by means of a TST may prime an immune response that leads to a false-positive result in a subsequent IGRA, limiting the validity of IGRAs in patients in whom these tests are performed sequentially. The current data on the influence of prior TST on IGRAs show inconsistent results. MET..
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Funding Acknowledgements
NR and MT were supported by Fellowship awards from the European Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases and The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. TC was supported by Fellowship awards from the Nossal Institute of Global Health, Melbourne, and The University of Melbourne, Melbourne.