QuantiFERON-TB GOLD ELISA assay for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antigens in blood specimens of HIV-positive patients in a high-burden country

Authors: Veldsman, Chrisna¹; Kock, Marleen M.¹; Rossouw, Theresa²; Nieuwoudt, Martin³; Maeurer, Mark⁴; Hoosen, Anwar A.¹; Ehlers, Marthie M.¹

Source: FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology, Volume 57, Number 3, December 2009 , pp. 269-273(5)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

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Abstract:

Tuberculosis is a life-threatening infection worldwide. Despite improvements in therapy, it results in 2 million deaths and 9 million new cases annually. This study evaluated the use of the QuantiFERON-TB GOLD enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a high HIV/TB burden setting in an ARV clinic at the Tshwane District Hospital, South Africa. The sensitivity and specificity of the QF assay in the clinic were 30% (9/30) and 63% (19/30), respectively, when compared with the gold standard culture results. Analysis also suggested that the sensitivity of the QuantiFERON assay is determined by a limiting patient CD4 value between 150 and 200.

Keywords: tuberculosis; QuantiFERON-TB GOLD; HIV-positive patients

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-695X.2009.00610.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria/NHLS, Pretoria, South Africa 2: Department of Family Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa 3: Bioengineering Department, Hepatology Research Unit, Department of Immunology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa 4: Mikrobiologisk och tumorbiologiskt centrum, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Publication date: 2009-12-01