title: Field comparison of the interferon-gamma assay and the intradermal tuberculin test for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis.
abstract: An extensive field comparison of the gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) assay and the single intradermal tuberculin test for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis was conducted in Australia. The specificity of the IFN-gamma assay was determined by testing more than 6000 cattle from tuberculosis-free herds and varied from 96.2% to 98.1%, depending on the cut-off point chosen to define a positive reactor. For the sensitivity trial, cattle from herds being de-populated because of bovine tuberculosis were examined with both assays. The sensitivity of the IFN-gamma assay was shown to be significantly higher than the single intradermal tuberculin test and varied from 76.8% to 93.6% depending on the method of interpretation. A maximum overall sensitivity of 95.2% was obtained by testing with the IFN-gamma and the tuberculin test in parallel. The superior sensitivity of the IFN-gamma assay and the ability to adjust the sensitivity of the system depending on the task involved, will provide the Australian Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign with a valuable additional test to enable it to accomplish its goals.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Division of Animal Health, Animal Health Research Laboratory, Private Bag No 1, Parkville, Victoria.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Corner
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Rothel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baldock
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Cousins
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: McCormick
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Creeper
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Tweddle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D002020:Buffaloes; D002417:Cattle; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014374:Tuberculin Test / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D014380:Tuberculosis, Bovine / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D007371:Interferon-gamma