Upstate Medical University lists the following
requirements for students;
Q: Will QuantiFERON-TB Gold (interferon-gamma release assay) testing be accepted as an alternative to the tuberculin skin test.
A: No, not under usual circumstances. QFT is not used for routine TB surveillance at Upstate. A TST must be placed to establish a baseline for future testing.
New York DOH
rules specify only TST
ppd (Mantoux) skin test for tuberculosis prior to employment or affiliation and no less than every year thereafter for negative findings.
Considering that these rules were formed in 1996, prior to the approval of QuantiFERON, the exclusion is reasonable. However since the approval of QuantiFERON the DOH generated the following
letter
The purpose of this letter is to clarify changes in requirements for employee tuberculosis (TB) screening in hospitals and diagnostic and treatment centers in New York State. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) requires a medical evaluation of all health care workers prior to employment in these facilities, which must include tuberculosis screening. TB screening may be done with any approved test to detect M. tuberculosis infection, such as the tuberculin skin test (TST), or one of the whole blood interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
At this time, approved IGRAs include QuantiFERON-TB Gold, 2005; QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube, 2007; and TSpot.TB, 2008. NYSDOH regulations, including 405.3(b)(10)(iv) for hospitals and 751.6(d)(4) for Diagnostic and Treatment Centers, will be amended to allow the use of these tests as an acceptable alternative to the tuberculin skin test, when used in accordance with the product insert. However, health care employers may incorporate these tests into employee screening protocols effective immediately
It appears that it is now
under review
