title: Performance of QuantiFERON-TB testing in a tuberculosis outbreak at a primary school.
abstract: This study compared the effectiveness of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT) assay with the Mantoux tuberculin skin test to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in 29 children during a school outbreak of tuberculosis. Of the 21 children with M. tuberculosis infection, 11 had a radiograph suggestive of the infection. The QFT assay was positive in all 21 of the children, and the Mantoux test was negative at first testing in 2 children (1 of whom was the sentinel case). The findings demonstrate that the QFT test is extremely useful in accurately identifying infected and uninfected children, permitting rapid intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy. molicott@uniss.it
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Molicotti
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bua
authors.forename: Graziella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mela
authors.forename: Paolina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Olmeo
authors.forename: Renzo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Delogu
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ortu
authors.forename: Leonardo Antonio
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sechi
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zanetti
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis*; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011859:Radiography; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D007371:Interferon-gamma