Korean J Pediatr Infect Dis.  2011 Jun;18(1):48-53.

Accuracy of an Interferon-gamma Release Assay to Detect Active Tuberculosis in Children: A Pilot Study

• Lee YJ
• Chun P
• We JH
• Park SE

Abstract

PURPOSE
Early diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB) in children is difficult. The widely used tuberculin skin test has low sensitivity and cross reactivity with non-tuberculous mycobacteria or Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccination. Interferon gamma release assays have been shown good diagnostic accuracy for active in adults. But studies in children were limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISpot) as an initial test in the diagnosis of active tuberculosis in children.
METHODS
In a hospital-based study, we prospectively examined the performance of ELISPot in 33 children suspected of active TB. TB was confirmed bacteriologically or histologically.
RESULTS
Among 33 patients, 9 had active tuberculosis. When tested, they all had a positive test result from the ELISpot. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay were 100% (95% CI, 66.4-100%) and 95.8% (95% CI, 78.9-99.9%) respectively.
CONCLUSION
ELISpot might be an useful and improved clinical diagnostic method for the detection of active TB in children.

Keyword

Active tuberculosis; Interferon gamma; Children

MeSH Terms

Adult
Child
Early Diagnosis
Enzyme-Linked Immunospot Assay
Humans
Interferon-gamma
Interferon-gamma Release Tests
Pilot Projects
Prospective Studies
Sensitivity and Specificity
Skin Tests
Tuberculin
Tuberculosis
Vaccination
Interferon-gamma
Tuberculin