Better than a slap in the face with a wet fish?

TBESC notes

Randall Reeves, MD, presented results from the TBESC study titled, “Evaluation of QFT GIT and TST during TB screening of U.S. Visa Applicants in Vietnam.” Data from this study, designed to evaluate QFT vs. TST and determine the ability to follow applicants in the United States, will be relevant to the over 1 million persons screened by panel physicians and civil surgeons each year. Dr. Reves reported that QFT had high sensitivity (89%) when used to screen patients for TB, and that QFT could be used as a “gateway” to prevent excess chest x-rays.

However, he also noted that use of QFT without chest x-ray would result in occasional missed TB cases.

Participants also heard an update on “Evaluation of new IGRAs in the diagnosis of LTBI in health care workers,” presented by Bob Belknap, MD.

They found that only 3% of health care workers with a negative QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT GIT) test at baseline had a positive QFT at 6 months, whereas almost 53% of persons with a positive QFT at baseline testing had reverted to a negative QFT at 6 months. QFT conversions were more common than tuberculin skin test conversions (0.4%), and weren’t explained by QFT results that were borderline positive.