Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40001083›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Comparative evaluation of QuantiFERON-TB gold in-tube plus for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among adolescents in China.

Peng Lu, Leonardo Martinez, Hao Xue, Qiao Liu, Xiaoyan Ding, Jingjing Pan, Hui Ding, Wei Lu, Limei Zhu, Jiangming Wang

Abstract readComparative StudyEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Peng Lu *Department of Epidemiology, National Vaccine Innovation Platform, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
Leonardo Martinez *Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Hao XueYancheng Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
Qiao LiuDepartment of Chronic Communicable Disease, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
Xiaoyan DingDepartment of Chronic Communicable Disease, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
Jingjing PanDepartment of Chronic Communicable Disease, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
Hui DingDepartment of Chronic Communicable Disease, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
Wei LuDepartment of Chronic Communicable Disease, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
Limei ZhuDepartment of Chronic Communicable Disease, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China. lilyam0921@163.com.
Jiangming WangDepartment of Epidemiology, National Vaccine Innovation Platform, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China. jmwang@njmu.edu.cn.

Funding

Medical Research Project of Jiangsu Health Commission ZDB2020013Nanjing Major Science and Technology Specific Project 2021-11005the National Natural Science Foundation of China 81973103
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNo head-to-head studies have simultaneously compared the performances of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT), QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus), ESAT6-CFP10 (EC) skin test, and Tuberculin skin test (TST) in adolescents. This study aimed to conduct a comparative assessment of QFT-GIT and QFT-Plus for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis(Mtb) infection in high school freshmen.

methodsWe concurrently administered QFT-GIT, QFT-Plus, EC skin test, and TST to first-year high school students. Blood samples were obtained for the QFT-GIT and QFT-Plus assays before the administration of the EC skin test and TST. The diagnostic values were compared. Discrepancies between the tests were quantified using Cohen's kappa coefficient.

resultsA total of 787 freshmen were recruited in this study. Among 787 subjects, EC was positive in 0.8%, TST in 5.3%, QFT-GIT in 1.1%, and QFT-Plus in 3.2%. Overall agreements for QFT-GIT vs. QFT-Plus, QFT-Plus TB1, and QFT-Plus TB2 were 95.7% (95% CI, 94.0-97.0), 97.3% (95% CI, 95.9-98.3), and 95.9% (95% CI, 94.3-97.2), respectively. Cohen's kappa values were 0.485 (95% CI, 0.319-0.621), 0.593 (95% CI, 0.413-0.744), and 0.451 (95% CI, 0.274-0.600). Consistency rates for QFT-GIT, QFT-Plus, EC skin test, and TST were 96.6% (95% CI, 95.0, 97.0), 92.1% (95% CI, 89.0, 94.0), 94.5% (95% CI, 92.6, 96.1), and 91.2% (95% CI, 88.8, 93.1) with Cohen's kappa values of 0.19 (95% CI, -0.01, 0.38), 0.07 (95% CI, -0.02, 0.19), 0.08 (95% CI, -0.01, 0.23), and 0.12 (95% CI, 0.01, 0.21).

conclusionThe QFT-GIT and QFT-Plus assays exhibited a high level of agreement but demonstrated a moderate correlation. IFN-γ levels measured by both QFT-GIT and QFT-Plus were comparable. Notably, Our study suggests QFT-Plus may detect a higher rate of Mtb infection among high school freshmen compared to QFT-GIT, EC skin test, and TST, though this requires cautious interpretation due to the absence of a gold standard for Mtb infection diagnosis.

Indexed as

Interferon-gamma Release TestsMycobacterium tuberculosisTuberculin TestTuberculosisAdolescentChinaFemaleHumansMaleSensitivity and SpecificityESAT6-CFP10Mycobacterium tuberculosis infectionQuantiFERON-TB gold In-TubeQuantiFERON-TB gold plusTuberculosis

Identifiers

PMID40001083
PMCPMC11863680

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.