Latent tuberculosis: which test in which situation?


Autoria(s): Zellweger, J.P.
Data(s)

2008

Resumo

Detection of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is a cost-effective procedure in patients at high risk of developing tuberculosis later and who could benefit from preventive treatment. The commonest situation where screening is indicated is the search for infected contacts of an index case with pulmonary tuberculosis. As a screening procedure the current tendency is to replace the time-honoured tuberculin skin test by one of the new blood tests measuring the release of interferon gamma by sensitised T lymphocytes after stimulation by specific peptides from M. tuberculosis. The main advantage of the new tests is the absence of interference with BCG and non-tuberculous mycobacteria, which confers high specificity on the test. This allows a more selective choice of persons for whom preventive treatment is indicated. Some controversial issues remain, such as sensitivity in children and immunocompromised subjects, the predictive value of the blood test and interpretation of possible changes in test results over time. The technical aspects required for performance of the tests must be considered.

Identificador

https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_E71542077F1C

info:pmid:18224494

https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_E71542077F1C.P001/REF

http://nbn-resolving.org/urn/resolver.pl?urn=urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_E71542077F1C4

urn:nbn:ch:serval-BIB_E71542077F1C4

Idioma(s)

eng

Fonte

Swiss Medical Weekly1383-431-37

Palavras-Chave #Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents/adverse effects; Interferon-gamma/metabolism; Mass Screening; T-Lymphocytes/metabolism; Tuberculin Test; Tuberculosis/diagnosis
Tipo

info:eu-repo/semantics/review

article

Formato

application/pdf

Direitos

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

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