Optimizing compliance with latent tuberculosis infection screening among kidney transplant recipients

The increased risk of tuberculosis (TB) reactivation in solid organ transplant recipients supports the recommendation of screening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Adherence to available screening tests has not been studied in the kidney transplant (KT) population. We aimed to assess screening compliance within the ATALANTA-DOS population study.

ATALANTA-DOS studied an intervention bundle aimed at preventing infection in KT recipients. We compared LTBI screening rates between the pre-intervention (February 2016 - September 2017) and intervention (February 2018 - September 2019) cohorts and evaluated adherence rates between the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) and the tuberculin skin test (TST).

A total of 307 KT recipients were included (155 in the pre-intervention cohort; 148 in the intervention cohort). A systematic assessment of screening compliance by an infectious disease specialist on day +30 post-KT improved LTBI screening adherence (82.6% [114/138] vs 1.3% [2/155]; p-value <0.001). In the intervention cohort, compliance was higher with IGRA (83.3% [52/62]) than with TST (68.1% [49/72]). Two cases of LTBI were detected in the pre-intervention cohort and five in the intervention cohort (4.4% [5/114]). All patients completed LTBI treatment after ruling out active TB. No cases of active TB were identified during follow-up.

Systematic evaluation of LTBI screening compliance significantly increased screening completion rates among KT recipients. IGRA-based strategies increased screening compliance, supporting their implementation over TST for LTBI screening among KT recipients. Increased adherence would allow a more targeted and effective treatment of LTBI.