QuantiFERON-TB Gold Assay on Plasma for Confirmation of Presumed Tuberculosis-Related Uveitis

Stefania Zanetti; Alessandra Bua; Paola Molicotti; Irene Maiore; Antonio Pinna

doi:10.1128/JCM.00848-16

QuantiFERON-TB Gold Assay on Plasma for Confirmation of Presumed Tuberculosis-Related Uveitis

J Clin Microbiol. 2016 Aug;54(8):2175-7. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00848-16. Epub 2016 Jun 1.

Authors

Stefania Zanetti¹, Alessandra Bua², Paola Molicotti¹, Irene Maiore³, Antonio Pinna³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Experimental and Clinical Microbiology, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
² Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Experimental and Clinical Microbiology, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy [email protected].
³ Department of Surgical, Microsurgical, and Medical Sciences, Ophthalmology Unit, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.

Abstract

The QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay was used to measure interferon gamma levels in plasma from 4 patients with presumed tuberculosis-related uveitis before, during, and after antitubercular therapy. After treatment, all patients showed clinical improvement. The concentrations showed a reversion to an absence of interferon gamma in one case, decreased in two cases, and remained stable in one case. These results suggest that the QuantiFERON assay may be useful for tuberculosis-related uveitis diagnosis and follow-up.

MeSH terms

Antitubercular Agents / administration & dosage
Diagnostic Tests, Routine / methods*
Drug Monitoring / methods
Female
Humans
Interferon-gamma / blood*
Interferon-gamma Release Tests / methods*
Male
Plasma / chemistry*
Tuberculosis / diagnosis*
Tuberculosis / drug therapy
Uveitis / etiology*

Substances

Antitubercular Agents
Interferon-gamma

Grants and funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sector.