1377. Use of Interferon-Gamma Release Assays (IGRAs) Reduced Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI) Diagnosis in Refugee and Immigrant Children

摘要

BackgroundFor foreign-born children from countries with high tuberculosis (TB) burden, positive tuberculin skin test (TST) results, associated with Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccination, paradoxically increase the risk for overdiagnosis and overtreatment of latent TB infection (LTBI) during immigration. The higher specificity of interferon-gamma release assays, such as QuantiFERON-TB (QFT), may help distinguish LTBI from positive TSTs due to BCG or non-TB Mycobacteria. However, data on QFT usage in pediatric populations, particularly refugee and immigrant children, are sparse. Our objective was to assess the impact of QFT on LTBI diagnosis and treatment in the vulnerable child refugee and immigrant population.