Elsevier

Tuberculosis

Volume 108, January 2018, Pages 136-142
Tuberculosis

A multicentre verification study of the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus assay

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tube.2017.11.014Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this verification study was to compare the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) to the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In Tube (QFT-GIT). The new QFT-Plus test contains an extra antigen tube which, according to the manufacturer additionally elicits a CD8+ T-cell response above the CD4+ T-cell response. We assessed the value of this tube in detecting recent latent tuberculosis infections.

Methods

Between May 2015 and December 2016, 1031 subjects underwent QFT-Plus and QFT-GIT test. Overall agreement between both tests and performance for different test indications and/or immune states was assessed. A difference of >0.6 IU/mL interferon-γ release between the two antigen tubes of the QFT-Plus assay was considered a true difference and used as estimation for CD8+ T-cell response.

Results

Analysis of the QuantiFERON tests resulted in an overall agreement between assays of 95%. Subjects considered to be recently exposed to tuberculosis had significantly more often a true difference in interferon-γ release compared to all other subjects (p = 0.029).

Conclusion

Results of QFT-Plus are highly comparable to QFT-GIT. Although there is an indication that a true difference in interferon-γ release between the antigen tubes is associated with recent latent tuberculosis infection, the QFT-Plus could not be used to exclude recent exposure.

Keywords

Tuberculosis
Latent tuberculosis infection
Interferon-gamma release assay
QuantiFERON-TB Gold In Tube
QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus

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