Screening for TB Among Children at High Risk: TST Versus IGRAs

Investigators from multiple institutions conducted a study comparing the clinical utility of tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) and interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) to screen children at high risk for tuberculosis (TB). The study was conducted by the CDC-funded Tuberculosis Epidemiologic Studies Consortium, which is a partnership of academic and public health programs from 11 states. Study participants were children <15 years at high risk for TB who were enrolled between 2012 and 2016. Children were considered to be at high risk if they met one of the following criteria: had close contact with someone with infectious TB, had either a positive culture or positive smear with positive nucleic acid amplification test results, was born in a country with a high rate of TB or living in a local community with a high prevalence of latent TB infection (LTBI), or had HIV infection. …