title: Interferon gamma inducible protein-10 in the diagnosis of paediatric tuberculosis infection in a low TB incidence country.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess interferon-gamma inducible protein 10 (IP-10) as a diagnostic marker for tuberculous infection in children, particularly in relation to its differential diagnostic performance in young children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A case-control study was conducted among 161 children and adolescents (mean age 6.3 years ± standard deviation 1.7; males n = 79, 49%). Fifty-four (33.5%) had active TB, 53 (33%) had latent tuberculous infection (LTBI), and 54 (33.5%) were non-LTBI controls. Unstimulated IP-10 levels did not differ between groups (P > 0.05 for all comparisons). TB-specific antigen stimulated IP-10 levels were more profoundly increased in infected groups than in controls (P < 0.001 for all comparisons). None of the IP-10-based diagnostic indexes demonstrated the ability to discriminate active disease from LTBI. A value of IP-10 ⩾ 1222 pg/ml had 83.3% sensitivity, 79.6% specificity, 80.4% positive predictive value and 82.7% negative predictive value for the diagnosis of LTBI. IP-10 based indexes demonstrated a trend towards better performance in the population group aged <5 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The IP-10 assay could be useful in improving the diagnosis of LTBI in patients aged <5 years in combination with existing interferon-gamma release assays.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Paediatrics, P & A Kyriakou Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Amanatidou
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Paediatrics, P & A Kyriakou Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Critselis
authors.affiliation: Allergy and Immmunology Research Laboratory, Second Department of Paediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trochoutsou
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Paediatrics, P & A Kyriakou Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soldatou
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Paediatrics, P & A Kyriakou Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Benetatou
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Paediatrics, P & A Kyriakou Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Spyridis
authors.affiliation: Allergy and Immmunology Research Laboratory, Second Department of Paediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Papadopoulos
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Paediatrics, P & A Kyriakou Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Tsolia
mesh_terms: D019540:Area Under Curve; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10 / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D055985:Latent Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014374:Tuberculin Test
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C114753:CXCL10 protein, human; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10