ArticlePloS one2014
Interferon-gamma assay in combination with tuberculin skin test are insufficient for the diagnosis of culture-negative pulmonary tuberculosis.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Latent tuberculosis infection screening in immigrants to low-incidence countries: a meta-analysis.Molecular diagnosis & therapy · 2015Pooled it
- Comparison of interferon gamma release assays and tuberculin skin test performance for diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in the Pakistani population.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- A comprehensive review of paratuberculosis in animals and its implications for public health.Open veterinary journal · 2024Review
- Tuberculin skin test and interferon-γ release assays: Can they agree?The clinical respiratory journal · 2023Article
- Cytokine Biosignature of Active and Latent Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection in Children.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Interleukin-18, Functional IL-18 Receptor and IL-18 Binding Protein Expression in Active and Latent Tuberculosis.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- IL-18/IL-37/IP-10 signalling complex as a potential biomarker for discriminating active and latent TB.PloS one · 2019Observational
- Interferon-Gamma Release Assay is Not Appropriate for the Diagnosis of Active Tuberculosis in High-Burden Tuberculosis Settings: A Retrospective Multicenter Investigation.Chinese medical journal · 2018Observational
- CD14-159C/T polymorphism in the development of delayed skin hypersensitivity to tuberculin.PloS one · 2017Article
- Two-Year Follow-up Study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Antigen-Driven IFN-γ Responses and Macrophage sCD14 Levels After Tuberculosis Contact.Indian journal of microbiology · 2016Article
- Variation of Circulating Inflammatory Mediators in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli Bloodstream Infection.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveEarly diagnosis of infectious cases and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) are important strategies for reducing the incidence of this disease. Unfortunately, traditional TB diagnostic methods are time-consuming and often unreliable. This study compared the accuracy and reliability of the tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon (IFN)-γ-based assay (IGRA) for the diagnosis of active pulmonary TB Polish cases that could or could not be confirmed by M. tuberculosis (M.tb) culture.
methodsIn total, 126 adult patients with clinically active TB or non-mycobacterial, community-acquired lung diseases (NMLD) hospitalised at the Regional Specialised Hospital of Tuberculosis, Lung Diseases and Rehabilitation in Tuszyn, Poland were enrolled in the present study. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predicted value (PPV), negative predicted value (NPV), and analytic accuracy (Acc) of TST and IGRA testing for the diagnosis of culture-positive and culture-negative TB patients were calculated. The quantities of IFN-γ produced in the response to M.tb specific antigens (TB Ag - Nil) in the cultures of blood from patients with active TB and NMLD patients were also analysed.
resultsThe IGRA sensitivity in culture-positive and culture-negative TB patients was similar, measuring 65.1% and 55.6%, respectively. The sensitivity of TST did not differ from the parameters designated for IGRA, measuring 55.8% in culture-positive and 64.9% in culture-negative TB. The sensitivity of TST and IGRA was age-dependent and decreased significantly with the age of the patients. No differences in the frequency or intensity of M.tb-stimulated IFN-γ production, as assessed by IGRA testing between culture-positive and culture-negative TB were noticed. Significantly lower concentrations of IFN-γ were observed in patients with advanced TB forms compared with those with mild or moderate TB pathologies.
conclusionsOur results do not show that a combination of IGRA and TST might be a step forward in the diagnosis of culture-negative TB cases. However, M. tuberculosis-stimulated IFN-γ levels might help to assess the extent of pulmonary TB lesions.
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