title: Clinical utility of QuantiFERON-TB GOLD In-Tube and tuberculin skin test in patients with tuberculous pleural effusions.
abstract: Interferon gamma release assays are used for diagnosing latent tuberculosis (TB); however, their role in diagnosing tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) is not defined. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube assay (QFT-IT) and compare this assay with the tuberculin skin test (TST) for diagnosing TPE in settings where tuberculosis is endemic and bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination is mandatory. The TST and QFT-IT test were conducted prospectively with 101 patients presenting with clinically suspected TPE. Of the 97 evaluable subjects, 54 had TPE. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were, respectively, 76.9%, 61.1%, 74.1%, and 64.7% for QFT-IT; 72.5%, 71.7%, 77.1%, and 66.7% for TST; and 83.7%, 45.7%, 68.3%, and 66.7% for QFT-IT plus TST. Thus, the QFT-IT test may be more useful than the TST for diagnosing TPE. Although the combination of QFT-IT and TST had higher sensitivity, it had poor specificity owing to the high prevalence of latent TB in our setting.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Myongji Hospital, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Koyang 412-270, Korea.
authors: Jae Ho
authors: JH
authors: Chung
authors: Chang Hoon
authors: CH
authors: Han
authors: Chong Ju
authors: CJ
authors: Kim
authors: Sun Min
authors: SM
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014396:Tuberculosis, Pleural / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic