QuantiFERON-TB reversion in children and adolescents with tuberculosis

Front Immunol. 2024 Mar 21:15:1310472. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1310472. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

We analyzed 136 children with tuberculosis disease or infection and a positive QuantiFERON-TB (QFT) assay, followed-up for a median of 21 months (0.4-11years). QFT reversed in 16.9% of cases, with significant decreases in TB1 (-1.72 vs. -0.03 IU/ml, p=0.001) and TB2 (-1.65 vs. -0.43 IU/ml, p=0.005) levels compared to non-reverters. We found a higher QFT reversion rate among children under 5 years (25.0% vs 11.9%, p=0.042), and those with TST induration <15mm (29% vs 13.3%, p=0.055). Our data reveal that, although QFT test remained positive in the majority of children, reversion occurred in 16% of cases in a progressive and stable pattern. Younger age and reduced TST induration were associated with QFT reversion.

Keywords: QuantiFERON-TB; adolescents; children; reversion rate; tuberculosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Humans
  • Tuberculin Test*
  • Tuberculosis* / diagnosis

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III- Spanish Ministry of Health [PI20/01490, PI20/01607 and PI22/00766] and by the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery [169-2022]. PR-M is funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III- Spanish Ministry of Health and Fondos Feder of the EU [CM21/00174].