Helminth infection increases the probability of indeterminate QuantiFERON gold in tube results in pregnant women.
BACKGROUND
Approximately one-third of the world population is infected with M. tuberculosis and helminths (Kariminia et al. (2009), Walson et al. (2010)). Pregnancy and Helminth infection are known to suppress the TH1 response (Kariminia et al. (2009), Elias et al. (2006)) on which the QuantiFERON Gold in Tube (QFT-GIT) assay, that measures the released IFN-γ upon in vitro stimulation with mycobacterial antigens, relies on (Thomas et al. (2010)).


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether QFT-GIT indeterminate result is significantly associated with helminth infection or not.


METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, eighty-five pregnant mothers were screened for parasitic and LTBI using Kato-Katz and QFT-GIT test-respectively,


RESULTS
The prevalence of helminth infection in pregnant mothers was 23 (27%) of this 17 (20%) was due to Schistosoma mansoni. Among the total of 85 study participants 26.8% were QFT-GIT positive and 14 (17%) had indeterminate results. Three samples (21.4%) were randomly selected from the indeterminate QFT-GIT results and retested to check the reproducibility of the assay and remained indeterminate. QFT-GIT indeterminate result showed significant association with helminth infection.


CONCLUSIONS
Helminth infections were significantly associated with indeterminate QFT-GIT results in pregnant mothers. Therefore further study is important to evaluate the possible effect of helminth infection by excluding the effect of pregnancy, as pregnancy also downregulates cellular immunity.
Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia.
Dawit
D
Gebreegziabiher
Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Kassu
K
Desta
Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Rawleigh
R
Howe
Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Markos
M
Abebe
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001681:Biological Assay; D005260:Female; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D006376:Helminths / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D007371:Interferon-gamma