Interferon-gamma assays for the diagnosis of tuberculosis infection before using tumour necrosis factor-alpha blockers

• Published in: The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease Vol. 11; no. 11; pp. 1177 - 1182
• Main Authors: COBANOGLU, N, OZCELIK, U, KOSE, M, TOPALOGLU, R, BESBAS, N, BAKKALOGLU, A, KIPER, N, KALYONCU, U, OZEN, S, KIRAZ, S, GURCAN, N, KAPLAN, M, DOGRU, D, YALCIN, E, PEKCAN, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris, France IUATLD 01-11-2007; Union internationale contre la tuberculose et les maladies respiratoires
• Subjects: Adult; Bacterial diseases; BCG Vaccine; Biological and medical sciences; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Immunosuppression; Infectious diseases; Interferon-Gamma; Interferon-gamma - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Mycobacterium; Pneumology; Prevention and actions; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Tuberculin Test; Tuberculosis - diagnosis; Tuberculosis - metabolism; Tuberculosis and atypical mycobacterial infections; Tuberculosis Infection; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - antagonists & inhibitors; Tumour Necrosis Factor-Alpha Blockers; tuberculosis infection; tumour necrosis factor-alpha blockers; Cytokine; Mycobacterial infection; Immunological method; Infection; Immunosuppression; Tuberculosis; Bacteriosis; Diagnosis; interferon-gamma; Tumor necrosis factor α; Gamma interferon; Pneumology
• ISSN: 1027-3719; 1815-7920

OBJECTIVES: Patients who receive tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) blockers are mostly immunosuppressed. A study was performed to investigate whether an interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) assay could represent an alternative approach to the tuberculin skin test (TST) for the diagnosis
of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in these patients.DESIGN: We prospectively enrolled 106 individuals into the study in two groups. Group 1 consisted of 38 healthy individuals and Group 2 included 68 patients with chronic inflammatory diseases evaluated for LTBI before the use of
TNF-α blockers.RESULTS: Of all participants, nine had indeterminate IFN-γ test results. Agreement between the two tests was poor in both groups (κ values respectively −0.54 and 0.18). In a total of 97 subjects, 10 (10.3%) were positive by the IFN-γ test and 49 (50.5%)
by TST.CONCLUSION: We found poor agreement between TST and the IFN-γ test in our study. Our limited preliminary data should be accepted as a basis for designing future studies that will be helpful for physicians to decide whether the IFN-γ test is more sensitive than the TST test
in detecting LTBI before the use of TNF-α blockers.