Abstract
Abstract
Objective
We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) assay in children and young adults with active tuberculosis (TB) and latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in China.
Methods
Patients agedMycobacterium tuberculosis
(MTB) infection who additionally had QFT-Plus results and complete clinical information were enrolled retrospectively at Beijing Children’s Hospital and Shenyang Chest Hospital from August 2022 to March 2024. The productions of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) in response to TB-specific antigens were also analyzed.
Results
A total of 448 patients were enrolled, comprising 138 (30.8%) individuals with active TB disease and 310 (69.2%) with LTBI. The overall sensitivity for active TB was 82.8%. The percent agreement between TB1 and TB2 was 91.8%. The IFN-γ production in response to mitogen and TB antigens observed among children
Conclusion
This study shows that QFT-Plus provides a useful diagnostic aid in diagnosis of active TB and LTBI in children and young adults. A suboptimal sensitivity and higher indeterminate rate was observed in children younger than 1 year old and those with comorbidities, precluding their use as a rule-out test.