Utility of QuantiFERON TB gold test in a south Indian patient population of ocular inflammation

• Published in: Indian journal of ophthalmology Vol. 57; no. 6; pp. 427 - 430
• Main Authors: Babu, Kalpana, Satish, Vidya, Satish, S, Subbakrishna, D K, Abraham, Mariamma Philips, Murthy, Krishna R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd 01.11.2009; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications; Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
• Subjects: Care and treatment; Diagnosis; Diagnosis, Differential; Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological - instrumentation; Eye diseases; Health aspects; Humans; Incidence; India - epidemiology; Interferon; Interferon-gamma - blood; Interferon-γ release assays; intraocular tuberculosis; Measurement; Medical research; Original; Pilot Projects; Predictive Value of Tests; QuantiFERON TB gold test; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; Retrospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Studies; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis, Ocular - blood; Tuberculosis, Ocular - diagnosis; Tuberculosis, Ocular - epidemiology; India
• ISSN: 0301-4738; 1998-3689
• DOI: 10.4103/0301-4738.57147

To study the utility of interferon-g release assays (QuantiFERON TB gold test) in a south Indian patient population of intraocular inflammation. Evaluation of a diagnostic test- a pilot study from January 2007 to October 2008. QuantiFERON TB gold test was performed on the following groups of patients following an informed consent. Group A included healthy volunteers without any exposure to tuberculosis (TB) or past history of TB (n=22). Group B included patients with active systemic TB diagnosed by the demonstration of acid-fast bacilli or by the histopathology finding of caseation with granuloma formation from the sputum, lymph node, skin or intestinal biopsies (n=26). Group C included patients with uveitis of known etiologies other than intraocular TB without any history of exposure to active TB (n=21). Group D included patients with a diagnosis of presumed intraocular TB, who responded to antitubercular therapy by decreased or no recurrences following treatment and with a minimum of nine months follow-up following initiation of antitubercular therapy (n=39). The sensitivity and specificity of the QuantiFERON TB gold test to pick up active systemic TB was 58% and 77% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the QuantiFERON TB gold test to pickup intraocular TB was 82% and 76% respectively. QuantiFERON TB gold test alone may not be specific for intraocular TB. The significance of this test in a case scenario needs to be interpreted with clinical presentation and other evidences for intraocular TB.