Female doctor talking to older male patient
TB Management
 

Immunocompromised

WHO recommends testing patients with weakened immune systems for TB infection.

Immunocompromised patients are at risk of TB

Overall, about 5–10% of people with latent TB infection will develop active TB disease at some time in their lives. For persons whose immune systems are weak, especially those with HIV infection, the risk of developing TB disease is much higher than for persons with normal immune systems (1).

  • People who are infected with HIV are 16 times more likely to develop active TB (2).
  • TB is the leading cause of death among HIV-infected patients (3).

Let’s see how systematic latent TB testing and treatment can prevent the progression of latent TB to TB disease in immunocompromised patients.

Ensure peace of mind for people with HIV

As a result of immunosuppression, people living with HIV are at increased risk for TB, and reliable surveillance is critical to protect their health.

Thus, timely diagnosis and early treatment are vital to preventing its progression to disease. The CDC recommends latent TB testing for all persons living with HIV as someone with untreated latent TB infection and HIV infection is much more likely to develop active TB disease during their lifetime than someone without HIV infection (5).

Managing TB and HIV amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global crisis with wide-reaching health and economic implications, including TB and HIV services. Join Dr. Sonia Qasba as she reviews screening for TB infection and prevention during these times, along with U.S. and global trends in COVID-19 epidemiology.

Watch the webinar
Man sitting with surfboard at the beach, evening, smile, satisfied, male, caucasian, QFT, QuantiFeron, TB testing, HIV

The WHO recommends IGRA testing using QuantiFERON technology

Patients with weakened immune systems should be tested for latent TB infection (6).

QuantiFERON TB testing employs a simple blood test (IGRA) to aid in the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. The CDC preferentially recommends TB testing with IGRAs, like QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus), instead of the TB skin test for the majority of the US testing population (7).

QFT-Plus can provide highly accurate detection of TB infection for immunocompromised patients in a single patient visit. It is unaffected by BCG vaccination, features innovative CD8 T cell technology and offers >94% sensitivity and >97% specificity.

QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus tubes
Reduce the risk of active TB in immunocompromised patients
QFT-Plus is the modern alternative to the tuberculin skin test.
Find out more
References:
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016) TB Risk Factors. https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/risk.htm (accessed January 15, 2023)
  2. World Health Organization. (2022) WHO Tuberculosis Key Facts. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis (accessed January 15, 2023)
  3. Machuca, I., Vidal, E., de la Torre-Cisneros, J., Rivero-Román, A. (2018). Tuberculosis in immunosuppressed patients. Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin. 36(6), 366–374.
  4. Lobue, P. and Menzies, D. (2010) Treatment of latent tuberculosis infection: An update. Respirology. 15, 603.
  5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014) TB and HIV Coinfection. https://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/pamphlets/tb_hivcoinfection (accessed January 15, 2023)
  6. World Health Organization. (2020) WHO consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis: tuberculosis preventive treatment. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331525/9789240002906-eng.pdf
  7. Lewinsohn, D.M., et al. (2017) Official ATS/IDSA/CDC clinical practice guidelines: Diagnosis of tuberculosis in adults and children. Clin. Infect. Dis. 64, 111–116.

QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) is an in vitro diagnostic aid for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. QFT-Plus is an indirect test for M. tuberculosis infection (including disease) and is intended for use in conjunction with risk assessment, radiography, and other medical and diagnostic evaluations.