title: Latent tuberculosis infection screening for laboratory personnel using interferon-γ release assay and tuberculin skin test in Korea: an intermediate incidence setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Though recent reports have indicated a higher prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in laboratory personnel than in other healthcare workers, these studies included only a limited number of laboratory personnel.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have thus focused on the laboratory personnel, who had a high level of exposure to specimens from patients with TB. We recruited 173 laboratory personnel and performed QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT-G) and tuberculin skin test (TST).
  
  
  RESULTS
  QFT-G was positive in 21.4% of the enrolled laboratory personnel, and TST was positive in 33.3%. The agreement between the two tests was fair (κ = 0.234). In multivariate analyses, household contactwith TBpatients (P = 0.013), the laboratory sections of microbiology (P = 0.045) and chemistry/immunology (P = 0.014) were shown to be significantly associated with positive QFT-G results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data show a high prevalence of TST and QFT-G positivity in laboratory personnel and emphasize the importance of LTBI screening for laboratory personnel. In BCG-vaccinated populations with an intermediate incidence setting, QFT-G seems to be superior to TST as a screening tool for the detection of LTBI. Further study, including results of follow-up tests will be helpful for confirmation of our findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hee-Won
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Hanah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hur
authors.forename: Yeo-Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis; D059425:Interferon-gamma Release Tests; D055985:Latent Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D017056:Medical Laboratory Personnel; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D014374:Tuberculin Test
chemical_list: D007371:Interferon-gamma
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