Loading...
Diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in children often relies on clinical presentation supported by immunologic tests such as the tuberculin skin test (TST) and the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA). IGRA testing has demonstrated greater specificity than TST, but its sensitivity in children younger than 5 years is less established.
To examine the usage and performance of TST and IGRA testing, investigators conducted a retrospective, population-based study of 778 children in California who had immunologic test results available between 2010 and 2015; 59% had received a TST, 15% had received an IGRA, and 26% had received both tests.
Results were as follows:
Children with laboratory-confirmed disease (46% of the cohort) were less likely to have had…