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Comparative Study
. 2006 Sep;12(9):1383-8.
doi: 10.3201/eid1209.051606.

Risk for tuberculosis among children

Hiroshi Nakaoka  1 , Lovett Lawson, S Bertel Squire, Brian Coulter, Pernille Ravn, Inger Brock, C Anthony Hart, Luis E Cuevas
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Risk for tuberculosis among children

Hiroshi Nakaoka et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006 Sep.

Abstract

Contacts of adults with tuberculosis (TB) are at risk for infection. Tests based on interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) expression in response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens may be more sensitive than the tuberculin skin test (TST). Risk for infection was assessed by using TST and an IFN-y-based assay (QuantiFERON Gold in Tube [QFT-IT] test) for 207 children in Nigeria in 1 of 3 groups: contact with adults with smear-positive TB, contact with adults with smear-negative TB, and controls. For these 3 groups, respectively, TST results were >10 mm for 38 (49%) of 78, 13 (16%) of 83, and 6 (13%) of 46 and QFT-IT positive for 53 (74%) of 72, 8 (10%) of 81, and 4 (10.3%) of 39 (p < 0.01). Most test discrepancies were TST negative; QFT-IT positive if in contact with TB-positive persons; and TST positive, QFT-IT negative if in contact with TB-negative persons or controls. TST may underestimate risk for infection with TB in children.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the study participants. TST, tuberculin skin test; QFT-IT, QuantiFERON Gold in Tube test.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proportion of children with positive tuberculin skin test (TST) (>10 mm) and QuantiFERON Gold in Tube (QFT-IT) test results, by adult smear positivity. Error bars show 95% confidence intervals.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Proportion of children with positive tuberculin skin test results, by age. A) Tuberculin skin test (TST) (>10 mm). B) QuantiFERON Gold in Tube test. Error bars show 95% confidence intervals.
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