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Whole Blood Assay with Dual Co-Stimulation for Antigen-Specific Analysis of Host Immunity to Fungal and Viral Pathogens
Published on: September 20, 2024
Low sensitivity of a whole-blood interferon-gamma release assay for detection of active tuberculosis
Puneet K Dewan1, Jennifer Grinsdale, L Masae Kawamura
1International Research and Programs Branch, Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. pdewan@cdc.gov
Abstract:
The sensitivity of an interferon-gamma assay (Quantiferon-TB Gold; Cellestis) was evaluated for the detection of tuberculosis among 242 persons with suspected tuberculosis in San Francisco, California. Thirty-seven subjects had culture-confirmed tuberculosis. Excluding 1 indeterminate result, 23 (64%; 95% confidence interval, 48%-78%) of 36 subjects had positive results using the QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay. The 64% sensitivity suggests that the QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay should not be used alone to exclude active tuberculosis.