Browsing by Author "Elkington, P."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Corticosteroids and infliximab impair the performance of interferon-gamma release assays used for tuberculosis screening
    (BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, 2017-02-03) Edwards, A.E.; Yifang, G.; Allan, Raymond N.; Ball, D.; de Graaf, H.; Coelho, V.; Curtis, N.; Williams, A.; Faust, S.N.; Marshall, B.; Elkington, P.; Tebruegge, M.
    The impact of immunosuppression on interferon-γ release assays and novel cytokine biomarkers of TB infection, mycobacteriaspecific IL-2, IP-10 and TNF-α responses was investigated in an ex vivo model. Cytokine responses in standard QuantiFERON-TB Gold in-Tube (QFT-GIT) assays were compared with duplicate assays containing dexamethasone or infliximab. Dexamethasone converted QFT-GIT results from positive to negative in 30% of participants. Antigen-stimulated interferon-γ, IL-2 and TNF-α responses were markedly reduced, but IP-10 responses were preserved. Infliximab caused QFT-GIT result conversion in up to 30% of participants and substantial reductions in all cytokine responses. Therefore, corticosteroids and anti-TNF-α agents significantly impair interferon-γ release assay performance. IP-10 may be a more robust TB biomarker than interferon-γ in patients receiving corticosteroids.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    ItemOpen Access
    Environmental temperature impacts on the performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube assays
    (Elsevier, 2015-04-11) Jarvis, J.; Gao, Y.; de Graaf, H.; Hughes, S.; Allan, Raymond N.; Williams, A.; Marshall, B.; Elkington, P.; Faust, S.N.; Tebruegge, M.