Targeted Testing for Latent TB

Use of a simple four-variable risk-factor questionnaire could have reduced testing by 91%.

In the U.S., testing for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is currently recommended only for individuals who are at high risk for infection, based on clinical factors. Such targeting greatly reduces the number of people tested and does not negatively affect disease control efforts. The U.S. military is still testing all recruits, even though the case rate of TB is far lower in recruits than that in the general U.S. population.

In a recent study involving Army recruits at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, researchers evaluated the accuracy of a risk-factor questionnaire (RFQ) in predicting a positive result on three currently available screening tests (the tuberculin skin test [TST] and 2 interferon-γ release assays: the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

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Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Targeted Testing for Latent TB

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