In vitro immunomodulation for enhancing T cell-based diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection DIAGNOSTIC MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE Slater, M., Minh-Chi Tran, M. C., Platt, L., Luu, L. T., Phan, H. T., Pham, P. T., Do, T. B., Nguyen, H. T., Gaur, R. L., Parsonnet, J., Cattamanchi, A., Luo, R., Nahid, P., Banaei, N. 2015; 83 (1): 41-45

Abstract

Interferon-gamma release assays have limited sensitivity for detecting latent tuberculosis infection. In this study, we determine if the addition of immunomodulators to the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) increased test sensitivity without compromising specificity. We prospectively compared QFT-GIT results with and without incubation with 2 immunomodulators (lipopolysaccharide [LPS] and polyinosine-polycytidylic acid [PolyIC]) in 2 cohorts-113 culture-confirmed tuberculosis (TB) subjects in Hanoi, Vietnam, and 226 documented QFT-GIT-negative, low TB risk health care workers undergoing annual TB screening at a US academic institution. Sensitivity of the tests in TB subjects was 84.1% with the standard QFT-GIT and 85.8% and 74.3% after incubation with LPS and PolyIC, respectively. Specificity in low TB risk health care workers was 100% with the standard QFT-GIT by design and 86.7% with LPS and 63.3% with PolyIC. In conclusion, use of the 2 immunomodulators did not improve sensitivity of the QFT-GIT in TB patients and reduced specificity in low-risk health care workers.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2015.05.007

View details for Web of Science ID 000359754000010

View details for PubMedID 26081239