Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-01T00:04:01.483Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reducing the Rates of Indeterminate Results of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube Test During Routine Preemployment Screening for Latent Tuberculosis Infection Among Healthcare Personnel

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Cyndee Miranda ,
Belinda Yen-Lieberman ,
Paul Terpeluk ,
J. Walton Tomford  and
Steven Gordon
Cyndee Miranda*
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Disease, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
Belinda Yen-Lieberman
Affiliation:
Departments of Clinical Pathology and Immunology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
Paul Terpeluk
Affiliation:
Departments of Human Resources and General Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
J. Walton Tomford
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Disease, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
Steven Gordon
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Disease, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
*
Department of Infectious Disease, Desk S-32, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195 ([email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We implemented the QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G) In-Tube test to identify latent tuberculosis infection among potential employees prior to employment. The rates of indeterminate QFT-G In-Tube test results were higher than expected and prompted an investigation that led to successful interventions (eg, manual vortexing before incubation and the use of a modified in-tube method). The tracking of indeterminate results is suggested as an important quality control measure.

Type
Concise Communications
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 30 , Issue 3 , March 2009 , pp. 296 - 298
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Mazurek, GH, Jereb, J, LoBue, P, et al.Guidelines for using the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, United States. MMWR Recomm Rep 2005;54(RR-15):49–55.Google ScholarPubMed
2.Jensen, PA, Lambert, LA, Iademarco, MF, Ridzon, R; CDC. Guidelines for preventing the transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in health-care settings, 2005. MMWR Recomm Rep 2005;54:1–141.Google Scholar
3.Lalvani, A. Diagnosing tuberculosis infection in the 21st century: new tools to tackle an old enemy. Chest 2007;131:1898–1906.Google Scholar
4.Pai, M, Gokhale, K, Joshi, R, et al.Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in health care workers in rural india: comparison of a whole-blood interferon γ assay with tuberculin skin testing. JAMA 2005;293:2746–2755.Google Scholar
5.QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube [package insert]. Valencia, California: Cellestis; 2008. Available at: http://www.cellestis.com. Accessed October 11, 2008.Google Scholar
6.Madariaga, MG, Jalali, Z, Swindells, S. Clinical utility of interferon gamma assay in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. J Am Board Farn Med 2007;20:540–547.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Mazurek, GH, LoBue, PA, Daley, CL, et al.Comparison of a whole-blood interferon 7 assay with tuberculin skin testing for detecting latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. JAMA 2001;286:1740–1747.Google Scholar
8.Perry, S, Sanchez, L, Yang, S, Agarwal, Z, Hurst, P, Parsonnet, J. Reproducibility of QuantiFERON-TB gold in-tube assay. Clin Vaccine Immunol 2008;15:425–432.Google Scholar