title: Accuracy of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Test for Tuberculosis Diagnosis in Children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the accuracy of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay (QFT-IT) in children with suspected active or latent TB infection (LTBI).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was conducted on 621 children (0-14 years old) evaluated for TB infection or disease. Following clinical assessment, children were tested with the QFT-IT assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 140 active TB suspects, we identified 19 cases of active disease. The overall sensitivity for active TB was 87.5%, ranging from 62.5% in children 25-36 months old to 100% in children older than 49 months. The overall specificity for active TB was 93.6%. Among the 481 children tested for LTBI screening, 38 scored positive and all but 2 had at least one risk factor for TB infection. Among the 26 children with indeterminate results, bacterial, viral or fungal pneumonia were later diagnosed in 11 (42.3%) cases and non-TB related extra-pulmonary infections in 12 (46.1%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that the children's response to QFT-IT associates to active TB and risk factors for LTBI. Moreover, we show that mitogen response is also found in children of 1 year of age, providing support for QFT-IT use also in young children.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sali
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pediatrics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Danilo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Buonsenso
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Preclinical Research, "Lazzaro Spallanzani" National Institute for Infectious Diseases (INMI), IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Delia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goletti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: D'Alfonso
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zumbo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fadda
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sanguinetti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Delogu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pediatrics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valentini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000592:standards*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis*