title: Diagnosis of tuberculosis by an enzyme-linked immunospot assay for interferon-gamma.
abstract: We evaluated an enzyme-linked immunospot assay for interferon-gamma (T SPOT-TB) for rapid diagnosis of active tuberculosis (TB) in a disease-endemic area. From January to June 2005, patients whose clinical symptoms and radiographic findings were compatible with TB were recruited, and a blood sample was obtained for T SPOT-TB assay within 7 days of microbiologic studies. Sixty-five patients were studied, including 39 (60%) with active TB. Thirty-five (53.8%) patients had underlying medical conditions. Thirty-seven patients had positive cultures for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and 11 patients had positive cultures for nontuberculous mycobacteria. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the T SPOT-TB assay were 87.2%, 88.5%, 91.9%, and 82.1%, respectively. The accuracy of this test in diagnosing active TB is >80%, even in an area with a high incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterial disease.
authors.affiliation: National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jann-Yuan
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chien-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Li-Na
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hsiao-Leng
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: I-Shiow
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Jan
authors.forename: Po-Ren
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Hsueh
authors.forename: Pan-Chyr
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Kwen-Tay
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Luh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003470:Culture Media; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D007371:Interferon-gamma