title: Poor correlation between tuberculin skin tests and interferon-γ assays in close contacts of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The results of tuberculin skin tests (TST) and QuantiFERON TB-Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assays were compared in close contacts of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).
  
  
  METHODS
  Close contacts of patients with bacteriologically confirmed MDR-TB (n = 101) were assessed. Most contacts were members of the households of patients, and 79 (78.2%) had received Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination. Samples from each contact were tested using the TST and the QFT-GIT assay on the same day, and the concordance between these results was assessed using kappa (κ) coefficients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-eight subjects (47.5%) showed positive responses on TST, using a 10-mm induration cut-off, and 54 (53.5%) were positive for the QFT-GIT assay. Of the 48 individuals who were TST positive, 34 (70.8%) were positive for the QFT-GIT assay. Of the 53 subjects who were TST negative, 33 (62.5%) were negative for the QFT-GIT assay. The overall agreement between the two tests (κ coefficient) was 0.33. The κ coefficient was higher in the 22 subjects who had not received BCG vaccination (κ = 0.48) than in the 79 subjects who had received BCG vaccination (κ = 0.29).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TST and QFT-GIT assays showed poor correlation in close contacts of patients with MDR-TB, especially those contacts who had received BCG vaccination.
authors: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, 388-1 Pungnap-Dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-736, South Korea.
authors: Kyung-Wook
authors: KW
authors: Jo
authors: Kyeongman
authors: K
authors: Jeon
authors: Young Ae
authors: YA
authors: Kang
authors: Won-Jung
authors: WJ
authors: Koh
authors: Kyung Chan
authors: KC
authors: Kim
authors: Yee Hyung
authors: YH
authors: Kim
authors: Kwang Ha
authors: KH
authors: Yoo
authors: Seung Heon
authors: SH
authors: Lee
authors: Jae-Joon
authors: JJ
authors: Yim
authors: Sang Bong
authors: SB
authors: Choi
authors: Won-Il
authors: WI
authors: Choi
authors: Jae Chol
authors: JC
authors: Choi
authors: Yong Il
authors: YI
authors: Hwang
authors: Tae Sun
authors: TS
authors: Shim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood*; D059425:Interferon-gamma Release Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014374:Tuberculin Test / Q000379:methods*; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007371:Interferon-gamma