ArticlePloS one2012
QuantiFERON®-TB gold in-tube performance for diagnosing active tuberculosis in children and adults in a high burden setting.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- Screening tests for active pulmonary tuberculosis in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Risk Factors for Indeterminate Interferon-Gamma Release Assay for the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Children-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2019Pooled it
- The burden of vaccine-preventable diseases among HIV-infected and HIV-exposed children in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2019Pooled it
- The impact of HIV and antiretroviral therapy on TB risk in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Thorax · 2017Pooled it
- Recommendations for the diagnosis of pediatric tuberculosis.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2016Guideline
- Systematic review and meta-analysis on the utility of Interferon-gamma release assays for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in children: a 2013 update.BMC infectious diseases · 2014Pooled it
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- Interferon-Gamma Release Assays Versus Tuberculin Skin Test for Active Tuberculosis Diagnosis: A Systematic Review and Diagnostic Meta-Analysis.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Retrospective Performance Analyses of over Two Million U.S. QuantiFERON Blood Sample Results.Microbiology spectrum · 2021Article
- Comparing QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus with QuantiFERON-TB Gold in-tube for diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection among highly TB exposed gold miners in South Africa.Gates open research · 2021Article
- Immunologic-based Diagnosis of Latent Tuberculosis Among Children Younger Than 5 Years of Age Exposed and Unexposed to Tuberculosis in Tanzania.The Pediatric infectious disease journal · 2019Article
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis HspX/EsxS Fusion Protein: Gene Cloning, Protein Expression, and Purification in Escherichia coli.Reports of biochemistry & molecular biology · 2017Article
- Serial QuantiFERON testing and tuberculosis disease risk among young children: an observational cohort study.The Lancet. Respiratory medicine · 2017Observational
- Performance of Interferon-Gamma and IP-10 Release Assays for Diagnosing Latent Tuberculosis Infections in Patients with Concurrent Malaria in Tanzania.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2016Article
- Influencial factors of the performance of interferon-γ release assays in the diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2015Article
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- Article
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- Severe acute malnutrition and infection.Paediatrics and international child health · 2014Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimTo determine whether QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) can contribute to the diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB) in children in a high-burden setting and to assess the performance of QFT and tuberculin skin test (TST) in a prospective cohort of TB suspect children compared to adults with confirmed TB in Tanzania.
methodsSensitivity and specificity of QFT and TST for diagnosing active TB as well as indeterminate QFT rates and IFN-γ levels were assessed in 211 TB suspect children in a Tanzanian district hospital and contrasted in 90 adults with confirmed pulmonary TB.
resultsSensitivity of QFT and TST in children with confirmed TB was 19% (5/27) and 6% (2/31) respectively. In adults sensitivity of QFT and TST was 84% (73/87) and 85% (63/74). The QFT indeterminate rate in children and adults was 27% and 3%. Median levels of IFN-γ were lower in children than adults, particularly children <2 years and HIV infected. An indeterminate result was associated with age <2 years but not malnutrition or HIV status. Overall childhood mortality was 19% and associated with an indeterminate QFT result at baseline.
conclusionQFT and TST showed poor performance and a surprisingly low sensitivity in children. In contrast the performance in Tanzanian adults was good and comparable to performance in high-income countries. Indeterminate results in children were associated with young age and increased mortality. Neither test can be recommended for diagnosing active TB in children with immature or impaired immunity in a high-burden setting.
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Registered trials
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