Tuberc Respir Dis.  2010 Mar;68(3):155-161. 10.4046/trd.2010.68.3.155.

An Usefulness of In Vitro Interferon Gamma Assay for the Diagnosis of Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Middle- and High-School Students in Jeju-Shi, Korea

• Bae JM
• Kim EH
• Wang OB

• KMID: 1728960
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2010.68.3.155

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The tuberculin skin test (TST) has limitations in diagnosing a latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) was introduced to middle- and high-school students since 2009 by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The aim was to evaluate the utility of IGRA in diagnosing LTBI in middle- and high-school students.
METHODS
From August 2007 to July 2009, among suspected LTBI students showing TST induration with a 10 mm diameter and over with a normal chest x-ray in school students of Jeju city, 341 students underwent a Quanti FERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-IT) test to confirm LTBI.
RESULTS
From 348 students showing a positive TST, a QFT-IT test was carried out on 341 students. The positive QFT-IT rate was 52.8% (=180/341). The positive QFT-IT rate was higher in high-school boys with a 15~19 mm diameter of induration in TST.
CONCLUSION
With the introduction of IGRA for diagnosing LTBI in middle- and high-school students, approximately 47% of students who show a TST induration with a 10 mm diameter and over can avoid taking unnecessary preventive chemotherapy. These results suggest that IGRA is useful for diagnosing and controlling LTBI in Korean students.

Keyword

Interferon-gamma Release Assay; Latent Tuberculosis; Student Health Services; Tuberculin skin test; Disease Outbreaks

MeSH Terms

Benzeneacetamides
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
Disease Outbreaks
Humans
Interferon-gamma Release Tests
Interferons
Korea
Latent Tuberculosis
Piperidones
Skin Tests
Student Health Services
Thorax
Tuberculin
Benzeneacetamides
Interferons
Piperidones
Tuberculin

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 The guideline for diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection in school students, Korea. BCG: bacilli Chalmette-Guerin vaccine; TST: tuberculin skin test; IGRA: Interferon gamma release assay) [cited from Reference 2].

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