From Antigens to Immune Responses: Shaping the Future of TB Detection and Prevention

Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The stages of Mtb infection exist on a continuum, ranging from an eliminated infection to contagious TB disease. Standard diagnostics for determining whether someone has latent, non-infectious TB include the tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon- γ release assay (IGRA). However, due to the complexity of the Mtb infection and heterogeneity between individuals, there is currently a debate whether it is correct to use IGRA to determine the presence of truly “latent” TB infection (LTBI), i.e., which can reactivate to the contagious form of the disease, as a positive result can be due to memory T cell responses, which may not be indicative of current infection [1].
Source: International Journal of Infectious Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research