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We would like to thank M Tebruegge et al for their comments regarding our article on the utility of interferon-γ release assay (IGRA) for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in children.1
In our studies,2 ,3 we found the sensitivity of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QTF) for diagnosing tuberculosis disease to be 98.3%, similar to that reported by other authors.4 Two different meta-analyses have shown that IGRA are at least as good as the tuberculin skin test (TST) for detecting active tuberculosis in inmunocompetent subjects, although most studies included had not been performed in children.5 ,6
We completely agree with Tebruegge et al that a negative IGRA result should not rule out tuberculosis in children …
Footnotes
Funding Our studies were carried out thanks to funding obtained from the 19th Dodot-Ausonia 2007 Grant for Paediatric Research awarded by the Spanish Paediatric Association.
Competing interests None.
Patient consent Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; externally peer reviewed.