The Predictive Value of the ELISpot-Based Interferon-[ggr ]–Release Assay for Tuberculosis Disease
Authors: Ajit Lalvani
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Letters17 March 2009The Predictive Value of the ELISpot-Based Interferon-γ–Release Assay for Tuberculosis DiseaseAjit Lalvani, DM and Kerry A. Millington, DPhilAjit Lalvani, DMFrom Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this author and Kerry A. Millington, DPhilFrom Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-150-6-200903170-00024 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We thank Dr. Hesseling and colleagues for recognizing the importance of our study. Although our estimates of the prognostic power of ELISpot and TST were broadly similar, we did not conclude that ELISpot does not predict disease progression significantly better than TST. The number of incident tuberculosis cases in our cohort was insufficient to determine whether 1 test was statistically significantly more prognostic than the other; such comparisons require additional larger studies. We complied with STARD (Standards for the Reporting of Diagnostic accuracy studies) guidelines as far as possible, given that this was a study of prognostic power ...References1. Lalvani A, Pathan AA, Durkan H, Wilkinson KA, Whelan A, Deeks JJ, et al. Enhanced contact tracing and spatial tracking of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by enumeration of antigen-specific T cells. Lancet. 2001;357:2017-21. [PMID: 11438135] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Ewer K, Deeks J, Alvarez L, Bryant G, Waller S, Andersen P, et al. Comparison of T-cell-based assay with tuberculin skin test for diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in a school tuberculosis outbreak. Lancet. 2003;361:1168-73. [PMID: 12686038] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Soysal A, Millington KA, Bakir M, Dosanjh D, Aslan Y, Deeks JJ, et al. Effect of BCG vaccination on risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in children with household tuberculosis contact: a prospective community-based study. Lancet. 2005;366:1443-51. [PMID: 16243089] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Diel R, Loddenkemper R, Meywald-Walter K, Niemann S, Nienhaus A. Predictive value of a whole blood IFN-gamma assay for the development of active tuberculosis disease after recent infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2008;177:1164-70. [PMID: 18276940] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, United Kingdom.Disclosures:Consultancies: A. Lalvani (Oxford Immunotec [nonexecutive director from 2003 to 2007]). Stock ownership or options (other than mutual funds): A. Lalvani (Oxford Immunotec), University of Oxford (Oxford Immunotec). Patents received: A. Lalvani (T-cell–based diagnosis of tuberculosis infection). Patents pending: K.A. Millington (T-cell–based diagnosis of tuberculosis infection), A. Lalvani (T-cell–based diagnosis of tuberculosis infection). PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoPrognostic Value of a T-Cell–Based, Interferon-γ Biomarker in Children with Tuberculosis Contact Mustafa Bakir , Kerry A. Millington , Ahmet Soysal , Jonathan J. Deeks , Serpil Efee , Yasemin Aslan , Davinder P.S. Dosanjh , and Ajit Lalvani The Predictive Value of the ELISpot-Based Interferon-γ–Release Assay for Tuberculosis Disease Anneke C. Hesseling , Robert P. Gie , and Anna M. Mandalakas Metrics 17 March 2009Volume 150, Issue 6Page: 429-430KeywordsChildrenCohort studiesLongitudinal studiesMultivariate analysisPopulation statisticsPreventive medicineSkin testsThoraxTuberculinTuberculosis ePublished: 17 March 2009 Issue Published: 17 March 2009 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...