Clinical Information

Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is a non-communicable, asymptomatic condition that persists for many years in individuals and may progress to active tuberculosis disease, particularly in patients who are immunosuppressed. The primary goal for diagnosis of LTBI is to initiate medical treatment in order to prevent progression to active disease. Historically, detection of LTBI has been done using the tuberculin skin test (TST). The TST has certain limitations, however, including subjective interpretation, limited sensitivity in immunosuppressed patients, and the possibility of false-positive results in individuals who have received the BCG vaccine or are infected with other mycobacteria.

The QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) test is an interferon (IFN)-gamma release assay (IGRA) that assesses the cell-mediated immune response to 2 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex antigens, ESAT-6 and CFP-10, by measuring IFN-gamma levels in plasma. These 2 proteins are absent from all BCG strains and from most nontuberculosis mycobacteria with the exception of Mycobacterium kansasii, Mycobacterium szulgai, and Mycobacterium marinum. Individuals infected with M tuberculosis complex agents, including M tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobacterium africanum, Mycobacterium microti, Mycobacterium caprae, and Mycobacterium canetti, usually have lymphocytes in their blood that recognize these specific antigens, and this recognition leads to the generation and secretion of IFN-gamma. This cytokine is subsequently detected and quantified using an IFN-gamma enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

In an M tuberculosis infection, CD4+ T cells play a critical role in immunological control through secretion of IFN-gamma. The prior version of the QFT-Plus assay, the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-Gold) assay, only detected IFN-gamma secreted from CD4+ T cells. Evidence now supports a role for CD8+ T cells in host defense against M tuberculosis infection by likewise producing IFN-gamma, but also by stimulating macrophages to suppress the growth of M tuberculosis, to kill infected cells, and to directly lyse intracellular M tuberculosis bacteria. IFN-gamma-producing M tuberculosis specific CD8+ T cells have been detected in subjects with LTBI and in patients with active TB. ESAT-6 and CFP-10 specific CD8+ T cells have also been frequently described in patients with active tuberculosis (TB) versus patients with LTBI and have been detected in HIV-positive patients and children with TB disease.

The QFT-Plus assay has 2 distinct TB antigen tubes: TB Antigen Tube 1 (TB1) and TB Antigen Tube 2 (TB2). Both tubes contain peptide antigens from ESAT-6 and CFP-10 for stimulation of a CD4+ T-cell IFN-gamma response. However, the TB2 tube also contains an additional set of ESAT-6 and CFP-10 peptides specifically designed to stimulate a CD8+ T-cell response.

For the most up-to-date information regarding use of IGRAs, refer to the most recent guidelines on the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Adults and Children from the American Thoracic Society, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.(1)