ArticleMicrobiology spectrum2026
A detailed analysis of borderline results in the QuantiFERON-TB Gold-Plus assay incorporating longitudinal follow-up: intermediate-burden setting.
Article in Microbiology spectrum, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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7 authors.
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Abstract
The QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus; Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) assay is widely used for latent TB infection (LTBI) screening; however, borderline results often show variability during follow-up. We investigated the longitudinal variability of borderline TB1 and TB2 results throughout the follow-up period. A total of 770 individuals with initial borderline results (0.2-0.7 IU/mL) in either the TB1 or TB2 tube were retrospectively collected over a 5-year period. Agreement and correlation between the initial TB1 and TB2 results were analyzed. Trends in reversion and conversion were evaluated separately for each tube and for combined results among individuals with available follow-up tests. Initial TB1 and TB2 borderline results showed weak agreement (Cohen's κ = 0.441, 95% CI 0.401-0.480) and moderate correlation (Spearman's ρ = 0.640, 95% CI 0.596-0.680; IMPORTANCE: This is the first study to longitudinally assess borderline QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) results in an intermediate TB burden setting, highlighting the need for defined criteria and retesting intervals.
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