Details are as follows, note that this is the first generation QFT;
COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SAFETY BULLETIN
SAN FRANCISCO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
JuneÑJuly 2004 Volume 1, Issue 1
NEW TUBERCULOSIS BLOOD TEST Masae Kawamura, MD Tuberculosis (TB) Control
The San Francisco TB Control program in collaboration with the Department of Public Health Laboratory has replaced the tuberculin skin test (TST) with the QuantiFERON-TB Test (QFT) for screening of selected patients for TB.
The QuantiFERON-TB test (QFT) is an FDA-approved whole-blood test that measures the patientÕs immune reac-tivity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB.
Utilizing the QFT test eliminates TST placement error, the need for a return visit, TST reader error, and the confounding TST "booster" phenomenon.
The QFT test is currently available exclusively through the TB control program, and will not be available to the general public.
However, results will be posted in the SFDPH/Community Health Network clinical record system under the "immunizations" section.
Please utilize the QFT results as you would TST results; like the TST, the QFT is a useful diagnostic aide, but it does not replace clinical judgment for the diagnosis of TB disease.
A positive QFT will require additional tests to exclude TB disease (chest x-ray and medical evaluation).
Patients with a positive QFT but no evidence of active TB disease may have latent tuberculosis infection.
If patients with latent TB infection are treated appropriately, the risk of progression to active TB disease is substantially reduced.
San Francisco Department of Health http://www.sfdph.org
CST Price at posting:
0.0¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Not Held
