Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by whole-blood interferon-gamma release assay.

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Abstract
SIR—We read with interest the article by Bellete et al. [1] comparing the performance of the tuberculin skin test (TST) with that of the whole blood IFN-γ release assay (IGRA; QuantiFERON-TB; Cellestis), among a subset (14%) of individuals from our larger multicenter study [2] and among subjects in Ethiopia. The authors selectively report a subset of data from a larger study that was specifically designed to measure agreement between TST and IGRA results with a margin of error of ±2.6% and to identify factors associated with differences between results of these tests for a diverse population. By limiting their analysis to this subset, Bellete et al. [1] have presented results with greater margins of error than, and conclusions that conflict with, those of the previously published multicenter study [2].
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