Lab Med Online.  2011 Jan;1(1):51-56.

Clinical Usefulness of Combined Anti-tuberculosis Antibody Test and Interferon-gamma Release Assay for the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis

• Kim MH
• Seo KY
• Won DI

Abstract

BACKGROUND
For the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), a variety of tests based on the patients' immune response has been introduced. We evaluated the clinical usefulness of combined anti-tuberculosis antibody (anti-TB Ab) test and Interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), evaluating humoral and cellular immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, respectively.
METHODS
Among patients tested for IGRA, 78 patients diagnosed as TB and treated with anti-TB drug and 80 non-TB patients were included in this study. We used QuantiFERON-TB GOLD (QFT, Cellestis limited, Australia) for IGRA and an immunochromatographic assay, Easy Test TB (ASAN PHARM, Korea), for anti-TB Ab test.
RESULTS
The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of Easy Test TB were 23.1%, 98.8%, 94.7% and 56.8%, respectively. QFT had a significantly higher sensitivity than Easy Test TB (67.9% vs. 23.1%; P<0.05). The agreement between the two assays was poor (69.6%, k=0.190). Of the 18 cases with positive Easy Test TB, six (33%) showed negative QFT results. The combination of Easy Test TB and QFT had a significantly higher sensitivity than single QFT (75.6%, vs. 67.9%; P=0.031).
CONCLUSIONS
The combination of Easy Test TB and QFT could be used to aid in a rapid diagnosis and early treatment of TB.

Keyword

Anti-tuberculosis antibody; Interferon-gamma release assay; Immunochromatographic assay; Easy Test TB; QuantiFERON-TB GOLD

MeSH Terms

Humans
Immunity, Cellular
Immunochromatography
Interferon-gamma
Interferon-gamma Release Tests
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Sensitivity and Specificity
Tuberculosis
Interferon-gamma

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Pictorial and diagrammatic representation of Easy Test TB device. (A) Photograph of Easy Test TB kit. Serum pad (S), control line (C) and test line (T) is marked on the device. (B) Diagram showing the inner strip details. Serum pad, conjugate pad, nitrocellulose membrane and absorbent pad are piled up one by one within the inner strip.

• 

  Fig. 2 The sensitivities of Easy Test TB, QFT and a combination of the two assays in patients with pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB. Abbreviations: TB, tuberculosis; ETT, Easy Test TB; QFT, QuantiFERON-TB GOLD.

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