The tuberculin skin test (TST) is the "gold standard" for detecting infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We compared the TST using purified protein derivative to the QuantiFERON-TB test (QFT). Two groups were examined. Group 1 individuals (n = 66) (low risk) were at low risk for exposure to M. tuberculosis and were not Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccinated. Group 2 (n = 29) include individua...

Quaternion-valued signals along with quaternion Fourier transforms (QFT) provide an effective framework for vector-valued signal and image processing. However, the sampling theory of quaternion valued signals has not been well developed. In this paper, we present the generalized sampling expansions associated with QFT by using the generalized translation and convolution. We show that a σ-bandli...

BACKGROUND Interferon-release assays (IGRAs) for diagnosing active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) are not yet fully validated, particularly in high TB-endemic areas as the People's Republic of China (PRC). The aim of this report was to assess the performance of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-tube (QFT-GIT) and tuberculin skin test (TST), in addition to microbiological results, as contributors for dia...

UNLABELLED INTRODUCTION The effect of using a borderline zone for the interpretation of the interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) on the prediction of progression to active tuberculosis (TB) in healthcare workers (HCW) is analysed. METHODS Data from a published study on TB screening in Portuguese HCW is reanalysed using a borderline zone for the interpretation of the IGRA. Testing was performe...

BACKGROUND Despite the widespread use of interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs), their role in diagnosing tuberculosis and targeting preventive therapy in HIV-infected patients remains unclear. We conducted a comprehensive systematic review to contribute to the evidence-based practice in HIV-infected people. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane, and Biomedicine databases ...

BACKGROUND We compared the usefulness of tuberculin skin test (TST) and three interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) [QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-2G), QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-tube (QFT-3G), T-SPOT.TB] as the supportive method for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). METHODS The subjects were 66 patients who required clinical differentiation of pulmonary TB. The final clinical diagnosis of pul...

OBJECTIVE In Fukujuji Hospital, we have been conducting TST to tuberculosis (TB) non-infected staffs to find new latent TB Infection (LTBI) every year, although almost of them were BCG vaccinated, and the reliability of TST is controversial in BCG vaccinated group. Recently, a new technique, QFT-2G, is evaluated highly to detect TB infection, especially in BCG vaccinated individuals. We examine...

A new immunodiagnostic test based on the Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antigens CFP-10/ESAT-6(QFT-RD1) has been launched as an aid in the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI). The aim of this study was to evaluate this test for the diagnosis of active TB. Eighty-two patients with suspicion of TB and 39 healthy BCG-vaccinated persons were enrolled. Forty-eight had active ...

BACKGROUND The efffectiveness of tuberculosis (TB) contact screening programmes using interferon γ release assays remains uncertain as prospective contact TB risk is not well characterised. OBJECTIVES To quantify 2-year TB risk and evaluate screening performance with single-step QuantiFERON TB Gold-In Tube (QFT) in adult contacts. To compare TB risk between QFT tested subgroups stratified by ...

OBJECTIVE Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) are now available alternatives to tuberculin skin testing (TST) for detection of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). We compared the cost-effectiveness of TST and IGRA in different populations and clinical situations, and with variation of a number of parameters. METHODS Markov modelling was used to compare expected TB cases and costs over 20...