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Multicenter Study
. 2023 Oct 1;37(12):1791-1797.
doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000003573. Epub 2023 Apr 19.

Evaluation of the diagnostic efficacy of EC-Test for latent tuberculosis infection in ambulatory people with HIV

Zhou Chongxing  1 , Li Yuanchun  2 , Huang Yan  1 , Liang Dabin  1 , Cui Zhezhe  1 , Huang Liwen  1 , Qin Huifang  1 , Ye Jing  1 , Long Fengxue  3 , Liang Xiaoyan  1 , Zhang Lifan  2 , Liu Xiaoqing  2 , Zhao Yanlin  4 , Lin Mei  1
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Evaluation of the diagnostic efficacy of EC-Test for latent tuberculosis infection in ambulatory people with HIV

Zhou Chongxing et al. AIDS. .

Abstract

Background: Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is more likely to develop into active tuberculosis (ATB), recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein ESAT6/CFP10 (EC-Test) is a latest developed method for LTBI. Compared with the interferon γ release test assays (IGRAs), the diagnostic performance of EC-Test to LTBI screening in HIV needs to be evaluated.

Methods: A population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted in Guangxi Province, China. The baseline data was collected and LTBI were measured by QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT), EC-Test and T-cell spot of the TB assay (T-SPOT.TB).

Results: A total of 1478 patients were enrolled. when taking T-SPOT.TB as reference, the value of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and consistency that EC-Test to diagnosis LTBI in HIV was 40.42, 97.98, 85.26, 85.04 and 85.06% respectively; when taking QFT-GIT as reference, the value was 36.00, 92.57, 55.10, 85.09 and 81.13%, respectively. When the CD4 + cell count was <200 cells/μl, the accuracies of EC-Test to T-SPOT.TB and QFT-GIT were 87.12 and 88.89%, respectively; when it was 200 ≤ CD4 + ≤ 500 cells/μl, the accuracies of EC-Test was 86.20 and 83.18%, respectively; when the CD4 + cell count >500 cells/μl, the accuracies of EC-Test were 84.29 and 77.94%, respectively. The incidence of adverse reactions in EC-Test was 34.23% and the serious adverse reactions were 1.15%.

Conclusion: EC-Test has good consistency compared with IGRAs in detecting LTBI in HIV no matter in different immunosuppression status or different regions, and the safety of EC-Test is also well, suitable for LTBI screening in HIV in high prevalence settings.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Diagnostic efficacy of EC-Test compared to T-SPOT.TB and QFT-GIT in the population of different regions∗.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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