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Performance of QuantiFERON-TB gold plus for detection of latent tuberculosis infection in pregnant women living in a tuberculosis- and HIV-endemic setting

Walles, John König LU orcid ; Tesfaye, Fregenet LU ; Jansson, Marianne LU ; Balcha, Taye Tolera LU ; Winqvist, Niclas LU ; Kefeni, Mestawet ; Abeya, Sileshi Garoma ; Belachew, Feleke ; Sturegård, Erik LU and Björkman, Per LU orcid (2018) In PLoS ONE 13(4).
Abstract

We evaluated the performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus), which includes two Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen formulations (TB1 and TB2), for detection of latent tuberculosis infection during pregnancy. Eight-hundred-twenty-nine Ethiopian pregnant women (5.9% HIV-positive) were tested with QFT-Plus, with bacteriological sputum analysis performed for women with clinically suspected tuberculosis and HIV-positive women irrespective of clinical presentation. QFT-Plus read-out was categorized according to the conventional cut-off (0.35 IU/ml) for both antigen formulations. In addition, we analysed the distribution of QFT-Plus results within a borderline zone (0.20–0.70 IU/ml), and interferon-γ response in relation to HIV... (More)

We evaluated the performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus), which includes two Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen formulations (TB1 and TB2), for detection of latent tuberculosis infection during pregnancy. Eight-hundred-twenty-nine Ethiopian pregnant women (5.9% HIV-positive) were tested with QFT-Plus, with bacteriological sputum analysis performed for women with clinically suspected tuberculosis and HIV-positive women irrespective of clinical presentation. QFT-Plus read-out was categorized according to the conventional cut-off (0.35 IU/ml) for both antigen formulations. In addition, we analysed the distribution of QFT-Plus results within a borderline zone (0.20–0.70 IU/ml), and interferon-γ response in relation to HIV infection and gestational age. Two-hundred-seventy-seven women (33%) were QFT-Plus-positive (HIV-positive 16/49 [33%]; HIV-negative 261/780 [33%]). There was a strong agreement between the two antigen formulations (κ = 0.92), with discordant results in 29 cases (3.5%). Whereas discordant QFT-Plus results were rare in pregnancy, several results with both TB1 and TB2 within the borderline range were observed (11/49 [22%] vs. 43/780 [5.5%] in HIV-positive and HIV-negative women, respectively; p<0.0001). HIV-positive women had lower absolute interferon-γ levels (TB1: 0.47 vs. 2.16 IU/ml; p<0.001, TB2: 0.49 vs. 2.24 IU/ml, p<0.001, considering results 0.20 IU/ml) compared to HIV-negative women. QFT-Plus-positive women who submitted samples at later stages of pregnancy had lower mitogen- (p<0.001) but higher TB-antigen-specific (p = 0.031 for TB1, p = 0.061 for TB2) interferon-γ response. Considering their lower capacity to produce TB-specific interferon-γ, a lower cut-off level for defining QFT-Plus-positivity May be considered in HIV-positive pregnant women.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
PLoS ONE
volume
13
issue
4
article number
e0193589
publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
external identifiers
  • scopus:85045005340
  • pmid:29617458
ISSN
1932-6203
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0193589
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e0e49a0b-0dc6-4b8a-9f76-5e6a9d6feb86
date added to LUP
2018-04-19 13:47:47
date last changed
2024-03-01 17:45:22
@article{e0e49a0b-0dc6-4b8a-9f76-5e6a9d6feb86,
  abstract     = {{<p>We evaluated the performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus), which includes two Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen formulations (TB1 and TB2), for detection of latent tuberculosis infection during pregnancy. Eight-hundred-twenty-nine Ethiopian pregnant women (5.9% HIV-positive) were tested with QFT-Plus, with bacteriological sputum analysis performed for women with clinically suspected tuberculosis and HIV-positive women irrespective of clinical presentation. QFT-Plus read-out was categorized according to the conventional cut-off (0.35 IU/ml) for both antigen formulations. In addition, we analysed the distribution of QFT-Plus results within a borderline zone (0.20–0.70 IU/ml), and interferon-γ response in relation to HIV infection and gestational age. Two-hundred-seventy-seven women (33%) were QFT-Plus-positive (HIV-positive 16/49 [33%]; HIV-negative 261/780 [33%]). There was a strong agreement between the two antigen formulations (κ = 0.92), with discordant results in 29 cases (3.5%). Whereas discordant QFT-Plus results were rare in pregnancy, several results with both TB1 and TB2 within the borderline range were observed (11/49 [22%] vs. 43/780 [5.5%] in HIV-positive and HIV-negative women, respectively; p&lt;0.0001). HIV-positive women had lower absolute interferon-γ levels (TB1: 0.47 vs. 2.16 IU/ml; p&lt;0.001, TB2: 0.49 vs. 2.24 IU/ml, p&lt;0.001, considering results 0.20 IU/ml) compared to HIV-negative women. QFT-Plus-positive women who submitted samples at later stages of pregnancy had lower mitogen- (p&lt;0.001) but higher TB-antigen-specific (p = 0.031 for TB1, p = 0.061 for TB2) interferon-γ response. Considering their lower capacity to produce TB-specific interferon-γ, a lower cut-off level for defining QFT-Plus-positivity May be considered in HIV-positive pregnant women.</p>}},
  author       = {{Walles, John König and Tesfaye, Fregenet and Jansson, Marianne and Balcha, Taye Tolera and Winqvist, Niclas and Kefeni, Mestawet and Abeya, Sileshi Garoma and Belachew, Feleke and Sturegård, Erik and Björkman, Per}},
  issn         = {{1932-6203}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{4}},
  publisher    = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
  series       = {{PLoS ONE}},
  title        = {{Performance of QuantiFERON-TB gold plus for detection of latent tuberculosis infection in pregnant women living in a tuberculosis- and HIV-endemic setting}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193589}},
  doi          = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0193589}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}