Table 2.
Latest IGRAs methods used for LTBI diagnosis
| Parameters | T-SPOT.TB | QFT-plus | LIAISON QFT-plus | AdvanSure™ TB-IGRA | Wantai TB-IGRA | Standard E TB-feron | QIAreach QFT | ichroma™ IGRA-TB | VIDAS™ TB-IGRA | T-Track® TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Oxford, Immunotec, United Kingdom | Hilden, Germany | DiaSorin S.P.A., Italy | LG Life Sciences, Korea | Wantai, China | SD Biosensor, Korea | Hilden, Germany | Boditech Med Inc., Korea | bioMérieux SA—Marcy-l’Étoile, France | Mikrogen GmbH, Neuried, Germany |
| Sample | PBMC | Whole blood | Whole blood | Whole blood | Whole blood | Whole blood | Whole blood | Whole blood | Whole blood | Whole blood |
| Type of reaction | T cell immune response | T cell immune response | T cell immune response | T cell immune response | T cell immune response | T cell immune response | T cell immune response | T cell immune response | T cell immune response | T cell immune response |
| Number of visits | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Type of antigen |
Panel A: ESAT-6 Panel B: CFP-10 |
ESAT-6, CFP-10 | ESAT-6, CFP-10 | ESAT-6, CFP-10 | ESAT-6, CFP-10 | ESAT-6, CFP-10, and TB7.7 recombinant proteins | A peptide cocktail simulating the proteins ESAT-6 and CFP-10 | ESAT-6, CFP-10 | ESAT-6, CFP-10 | ESAT-6, CFP-10 |
| Tubes | 1 tube | Nil, TB1, TB2, and Mitogen tubes | PC, TB-A, TB-B, and NC | Nil, TB, and Mitogen tubes | Nil, TB, and Mitogen tubes | Nil, TB, and Mitogen tubes | Blood collection tube, and processing tube | Nil, TB, and Mitogen tubes | Nil, TB, and Mitogen tubes | Nil, TB, and Mitogen tubes |
| Technology platform | ELISPOT | ELISA | CLIA | CLIA | ELISA | ELISA | LFIA | FIA | ELISA | RT-qPCR |
| Results | The number of cells releasing IFN-γ | The amount of IFN-γ released by CD4/CD8 T cells | The amount of IFN-γ released by CD4/CD8 T cells | The amount of IFN-γ released by CD4/CD8 T cells | The amount of IFN-γ released by CD4/CD8 T cells | The amount of IFN-γ released by CD4/CD8 T cells | The amount of IFN-γ released by CD4/CD8 T cells | The amount of IFN-γ released by CD4/CD8 T cells | The amount of IFN-γ released by CD4/CD8 T cells | Levels of FNG and CXCL10 mRNA changes |
| Sensitivity | 83% [13] | 91.4% [200] | 78.6% [201] | 98.48% agreement with QFT [202] | 86.4% [203] | 88% [204] | 100.0% [205], 96.5% agreement with QFT PLUS [206] | 95.76% [207] | 97.5% [208] | 94.9% [209] |
| Specificity | 83.1% [13] | 97.8% [200] | 94.7% [201] | 97.95% agreement with QFT [202] | 85.9% [203] | 95% [204] | 97.6% [205], 94.2% agreement with QFT PLUS [206] | 88% [207] | 97.6% [https://www.biomerieux-diagnostics.com/vidasr-tb-igra] | 93.8% [209] |
| False positive rate | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| Distinguish between LTBI and ATB | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
ELISPOT enzyme-linked immunospot assay, ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, CLIA chemiluminescent immunoassay, IFNG interferon-γ gene, LFIA lateral flow immunoassay, FIA fluorescent immunoassay, T.SPOT T cell spot test, QFT QuantiFERON-TB-Gold-In-Tube, IGRA interferon gamma release assay, QIAreach registered trademark name for a kit for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Qiagen (a commercial company in Germany), VIDAS a Registered trademark name of bioMérieux, PBMC peripheral blood mononuclear cell, ESAT-6 early secretary antigenic target-6, CFP-10 culture filtrate protein-10, PC positive control, TB-A tuberculosis-A, TB-B tuberculosis-B, NC negative control, RT-qPCR reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, IFN-γ interferon-γ, CXCL chemokine ligand