Abstract
It is commonly known that due to widely used vaccination by BCG the diagnostic value of tuberculin skin test (TT) is not high in the assessment of latent tuberculosis infection in children as BCG vaccination modifies susceptibility to tuberculin. The implementation of new immunological tests allows revealing latent tuberculosis in children more efficiently.
Objectives: to diagnose latent tuberculosis infection in children with different susceptibility to TT with new immunological tests (Diaskintest ® and QuantiFERON-TB Gold).
Materials and methods: at children department of Saint-Petersburg Institute of Phthisiopulmonology 77 patients aged from 3 to 14 years with positive TT were examined during 2010-2012. All children were vaccinated by BCG. Diagnostic complex included: Diaskintest ® (DST) – immunological skin test, QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G), and multislice computer tomography (MCT).
Results: examined children were divided into groups by different susceptibility to tuberculin by TT: in 27.3% (21) - low reaction in TT (≤ 10MM) (I group), in 63.6% (49) – moderate reaction in TT (10-15 MM) (II group), and in 9.1% high reaction (>15MM) (III group). In none of the cases specific tuberculosis changes in intrathoracic lymphatic nodes and lung tissue were observed by MCT. DST positive test was observed: in the I group in 19.1% (4), in II – 26.5% (13), in III – 71.4% (5). Results of QFT-G were similar to DST: in I group - was in 28.6% (6), in II – 24.5% (12), in III – 85.7% (6).
Conclusions: Thus both immunological tests are recommended in diagnostic complex of latent tuberculosis infection in children.
- © 2013 ERS
