Usefulness of interferon-γ release assay for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection in young childrenopen access
- Authors
- Yun, K.W.; Kim, Y.K.; Kim, H.R.; Lee, M.K.; Lim, I.S.
- Issue Date
- Jun-2016
- Publisher
- Korean Pediatric Society
- Keywords
- Child; Interferon-gamma release assay; Latent tuberculosis infection; Tuberculin skin test
- Citation
- Korean Journal of Pediatrics, v.59, no.6, pp 256 - 261
- Pages
- 6
- Journal Title
- Korean Journal of Pediatrics
- Volume
- 59
- Number
- 6
- Start Page
- 256
- End Page
- 261
- URI
- https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/cau/handle/2019.sw.cau/8619
- DOI
- 10.3345/kjp.2016.59.6.256
- ISSN
- 1738-1061
2092-7258
- Abstract
- Purpose: Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in young children may progress to severe active tuberculosis (TB) disease and serve as a reservoir for future transmission of TB disease. There are limited data on interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) performance in young children, which our research aims to address by investigating the usefulness of IGRA for the diagnosis of LTBI. Methods: We performed a tuberculin skin test (TST) and IGRA on children who were younger than 18 years and were admitted to Chung-Ang University Hospital during May 2011–June 2015. Blood samples for IGRA were collected, processed, and interpreted according to manufacturer protocol. Results: Among 149 children, 31 (20.8%) and 10 (6.7%) were diagnosed with LTBI and active pulmonary TB, respectively. In subjects lacking contact history with active TB patients, TST and IGRA results were positive in 41.4% (29 of 70) and 12.9% (9 of 70) subjects, respectively. The agreement (kappa) of TST and IGRA was 0.123. The control group, consisting of non-TB-infected subjects, showed no correlation between age and changes in interferon-γ concentration after nil antigen, TB-specific antigen, or mitogen stimulation in IGRAs (P=0.384, P=0.176, and P=0.077, respectively). In serial IGRAs, interferon-γ response to TB antigen increased in IGRA-positive LTBI subjects, but did not change considerably in initially IGRA-negative LTBI or control subjects. Conclusion: The lack of decrease in interferon-γ response in young children indicates that IGRA could be considered for this age group. Serial IGRA tests might accurately diagnose LTBI in children lacking contact history with active TB patients. © 2016 by The Korean Pediatric Society.
- Files in This Item
-
- Appears in
Collections - ETC > 1. Journal Articles
![qrcode](https://api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/?size=55x55&data=https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/cau/handle/2019.sw.cau/8619)
Items in ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.