How Long Does Quantiferon Gold Test Take

Tb Quantiferon Gold Test

Microbiology

• This is a whole-blood test for use as an aid in diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, including latent tuberculosis infection and tuberculosis disease.
• The test is only available after discussion with a Consultant Microbiologist.
• The test can be used in all circumstances in which the tuberculin skin test is currently used. However, caution should be used when testing certain populations because of limited data. These include:
• Children younger than 17 years of age
• Persons recently exposed to M. tuberculosis
• Immunocompromised persons .

QuantiFERON -TB Gold test kits are available from the Microbiology Laboratory on a named patient basis

A specimen collection protocol sheet is provided with the kit.

Collection method

• The kit contains 4 collection tubes:
• Grey cap: Nil control
• Green cap: TB antigen 1
• Yellow cap: TB antigen 2
• Purple cap: Mitogen control

What Happens After I Place My Order

Your order will be reviewed and approved by a licensed medical provider in your state. Once approved , you will receive an email notification and information on how to access a PDF of your lab order to take to the lab. If, for some reason at the sole discretion of the licensed medical providers, your request cannot be approved, you will receive a full refund.

Question 4 How Do You Interpret The Quantiferon

An example of a QFT-Plus report is shown below:

• Nil or Negative Control Tube

The nil value comes from the negative control tube, which contains no additives it is used to determine if the patient has a preexisting immune response , which could cause a false-positive reading on the test.

For a test to be valid, the nil tube must have a value of 8.0 IU/mL. In the example cited above, the nil value is well within the recommended range of 8.0 IU/mL. The nil tube value is subtracted from the values of the mitogen, TB1, and TB2 tubes for the final result of the respective tubes.

• Mitogen or Positive Control Tube

The mitogen, or positive control, tube contains a mitogen , which is a nonspecific stimulator of T-cells. It is used to assure that the patients T cells are capable of producing IFN- and also serves as a control for correct blood handling and incubation. The mitogen tube is also used to detect false-negative readings.

For a test to be valid, the mitogen tube must have an IFN- value at least 0.5 IU/mL higher than the value of the nil tube. This indicates that the test is functioning properly.

In the example cited above, the mitogen tube value minus the nil tube value is well above the minimum breakpoint of 0.5 IU/mL.

• TB1 Antigen

The inside of this tube is coated with M tuberculosisspecific antigens designed to elicit CMI responses from CD4+ T-helper lymphocytes.

• TB2 Antigen

• Result Evaluation

Calculation of Positive, Negative, or Indeterminate

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Quantiferon Tb Gold Blood Test Results Meaning

For many years, the best way to determine if someone may have an active tuberculosis infection was to use a skin test. The tuberculin skin test is implanted just under the skin and then sits for a predetermined amount of time. The reaction to the TST is then judged by the care provider to determine if the result is positive, negative, or inconclusive. The QuantiFERON-TB Gold blood test takes some of the guesswork out of the tuberculosis screening process.

TB, when it isnt treated right away, can become a fatal disease. Even when it isnt fatal, tuberculosis can cause a lung infection, spread to the kidneys, and even affect the brain. Spread through droplets that come from the respiratory system, like with a sneeze, it can be spread from person to person quite easily. A definitive screening test is needed for certain professions because of close human contact and thats what this blood test can provide.

What To Think About

If you miss doses of medicine or you stop treatment too soon, your treatment may go on longer or you may have to start over. This can also cause the infection to get worse, or it may lead to infections that are much harder to treat.

Taking all of the medicines is especially important for people who have an impaired immune system. They may be at an increased risk for a relapse because the original TB infection was never cured.

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What Are The Advantages Of The Quantiferon

This blood test can measure active and latent TB infections, but only in adult patients. The TST is still considered the standard for children. Only one visit is required for this blood test instead of multiple visits with the TST, which saves everyone time and money.

There are some additional advantages that this blood test has over the TST as well.

Improved specificity.Instead of needing to visually judge a skin test, there is a set of baseline markers that test results can be compared against universally to determine if a TB infection is present.

There is less bias.Because the results of the blood test are measured universally, there is no local bias present in reading the results.

It cant be boosted.The TST will eventually become an inaccurate measurement of a TB infection because of what is known as the âboosterâ effect. After several skin tests, it is common for false positives to be read. The QuantiFERON-TB Gold blood test eliminates this effect completely.

It is accurate.Individuals who have received a BCG vaccination in the recent past will not receive accurate TST results. This blood test eliminates the inconvenience.

Although the accuracy of this blood test is often better than the TST, it is not appropriate for some individuals. Be sure to speak with your doctor about this TB test and if it could be right for you.

Who Should Not Take The Quantiferon

Besides children, there are certain population groups that are not considered viable candidates for taking this blood test. Anyone who has an altered immune function fits into this category. This may be the result of an autoimmune disorder, an HIV infection, or people who are receiving immunosuppresive medications.

Certain clinical conditions may also alter the effectiveness of the results. This includes people who have a confirmed diagnosis of diabetes, renal failure, certain cancers and blood disorders, and silicosis.

Women who are pregnant are also not considered good candidates for this blood test.

The CDC, however, has approved the use of this blood test as a screening tool for virtually all individuals based on current data, even if the results from the test have not been studied. This is why it is important to speak with your provider about this specific blood test to see if it would be right for you.

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How Can We Help

The QuantiFeron TB Gold test is a simple blood test that involves giving a small sample of blood in a pathological process. Now, these minor procedures can be done at the comfort of ones home only.

All one has to do is give us a call and our representative healthcare professional will visit him at home at a time and day of his preference. Our representative would collect the blood sample in the most hygienic manner and use standard procedures. Not only that we would also home deliver the quantiFERON TB Gold test report at the persons home.

We offer fully certified and highly reliable lab tests that too at the comfort of a persons home. So if you need to get QuantiFERON TB Gold Test, then just call us to avail the benefits of at home healthcare services.

Who Is Most At Risk For Tb

Some people are more likely than others to get TB. This includes people who:

• Have HIV or another illness that weakens the immune system.
• Have close contact with someone who has active TB, such as living in the same house as someone who is infected with TB.
• Care for a patient who has active TB, such as doctors or nurses.
• Live or work in crowded places, such as prisons, nursing homes, or homeless shelters, where other people may have active TB.
• Have poor access to health care, such as homeless people and migrant farm workers.
• Abuse drugs or alcohol.
• Travel to or were born in places where untreated TB is common, such as Latin America, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia.

It is important for people who are at a high risk for getting TB to get tested once or twice every year.

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Quantiferon Tb Gold Plus Blood Test

The QuantiFERON TB Gold Blood Test is an in vitro assay to aid in the diagnosis of both latent and active infection with Mycobacterium Tuberculosis.

Also Known As: Interferon-gamma Release Assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Methodology: Whole blood interferon-gamma test measuring responses to CD4+ and CD8+ T cell antigens

Preparation: No fasting required. This test requires a special collection kit that may not be available at all LabCorp locations. Contact your local LabCorp draw site to verify they have the collection kit in stock before visiting the lab.

Test Results: 7-10 days. May take longer based on weather, holiday or lab delays.

Also Known As: Interferon-gamma Release Assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Methodology: Immunoassay

Preparation: No fasting required. This test requires a special collection kit that may not be available at all LabCorp locations. Contact your local LabCorp draw site to verify they have the collection kit in stock before visiting the lab.

Test Results: 4-6 days. May take longer based on weather, holiday or lab delays.

Qft Performance Interpretation And Use

Tuberculin testing is performed for persons who are 1) suspected as having active TB 2) at increased risk for progression to active TB 3) at increased risk for LTBI or 4) at low risk for LTBI, but are tested for other reasons .

QFT Performance

Aliquots of heparinized whole blood are incubated with the test antigens for 16–24 hours.* The antigens included in the test kits are PPD from M. tuberculosis and PPD from Mycobacterium avium . The kits also include phytohemaglutinin , and saline . After incubation, the concentration of IFN- in the separated plasma is determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay .

QFT results are based on the proportion of IFN- released in response to tuberculin as compared with mitogen, or / × 100 = percentage tuberculin response.§ The difference in the amount of IFN- released in response to tuberculin as compared with avian sensitin is expressed as — / × 100 = percentage avian difference. A computer program is available from the test manufacturer that performs these calculations and interprets the test results.¶

QFT Interpretation

Interpretation of QFT results is stratified by estimated risk for infection with M. tuberculosis, in a manner similar to that used for interpreting TST with different cut-off values. QFT results indicative of M. tuberculosis infection include the following three criteria:

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What Is Tb Quantiferon Test

TB Quantiferon is a special blood test used to detect the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. It replaced the century-old TB skin test which is also known as PPD, Mantoux test, tuberculin skin test or TST.

What is a TB Skin Test?

Before, the only way of detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection is to do a TB skin test. Its done by injecting a small amount of TB protein under the skin. If you have an active TB infection or if you have been exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a wide red bump will develop around the injection site.

How does a TB test look like when it is positive?

When a tuberculin skin test is positive, an induration or localized swelling will appear after 1-3 days. It has to measure more than 5mm in diameter to consider it positive.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a tuberculin skin test vs the Quantiferon-TB test?

A tuberculin skin test is cheaper than the QuantiFeron-TB Gold Plus. However, it cannot differentiate active or latent infection and it takes three days to be read.

The QuantiFeron-TB Gold Plus, on the other hand, can confirm active tuberculosis infection. It uses highly specific TB antigens that aid in properly detecting the presence of TB infection in the blood. It takes a maximum of 24 hours to get the results.

Symptoms Of Active Tb In The Lungs

Symptoms of active TB in the lungs begin gradually and develop over a period of weeks or months. You may have one or two mild symptoms and not even know that you have the disease.

Common symptoms include:

• A cough with thick, cloudy, and sometimes bloody mucus from the lungs for more than 2 weeks.
• Fever, chills, and night sweats.
• Fatigue and weakness.
• Loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss.
• Shortness of breath and chest pain.

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Reminders On How To Do Qft

• If you are using a butterfly needle, use a discard tube before the QFT-Plus tubes to remove the air along the butterfly tubing.
• Remember that QFT-Plus tubes are vacuum-pressured to collect exactly 1mL of blood in each tube. The blood will stop filling the tube once the tube collected 1mL already. Thats why its very important that there is no air present in the butterfly tubing before attaching the QFT-Plus tubes for blood collection.
• QFT-Plus tubes fill up very slowly. This might make you think that you hit a bad vein but be assured that the tubes are made to collect blood slowly.
• After filling the tubes, shake them 10 times to ensure that the surface is entirely coated by blood. Over or under shaking will produce erroneous results.
• The tubes should be delivered upright to the laboratory.
• At the time of collection, the tube temperature should be between 17-25 degree Celsius.
• Some healthcare institutions may require special training before a nurse or a phlebotomist can do a QFT-Plus test.

Diagnosing Latent Tb In The Lungs

• A will show if you have ever had a TB infection. See a picture of a .
• Rapid blood tests help detect latent TB. They can help diagnose TB when results from a tuberculin skin test are uncertain. These tests also can tell if a person who has had a has a TB infection. A rapid test requires only one visit to the doctor or clinic, instead of two visits as required for the tuberculin skin test. Rapid blood tests are also called interferon-gamma release assays .

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Healthy Eating And Exercise

During treatment for TB, eat healthy foods and get enough sleep and some exercise to help your body fight the infection.

If you are losing too much weight, eat balanced meals with enough protein and calories to help you keep weight on. If you need help, ask to talk with a .

• If you do not feel like eating, eat your favorite foods. Eat smaller meals several times a day instead of a few large ones.
• Drink high-calorie protein shakes between meals. Or try nutritious drinks, such as Ensure.
• If you feel sick to your stomach, try drinking peppermint or ginger tea.
• Ask your doctor when it is safe for you to exercise. When you can go outside, walking is good way to get exercise. Start slowly if you have not been active. Try one 20-minute or two 10-minute walks to start. Slowly increase your time. Try to walk as often as you can.

Clinical Definition Of Quantiferon Tb Gold

QuantiFERON TB Gold test is a basic blood test that helps in the detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis which is responsible for causing tuberculosis. The QuantiFERON also called QFT, is an interferon gamma release assay and is now used as an alternative to the tuberculin skin test .

Unlike TST, QuantiFERON TB Gold test is a controlled laboratory test and is unaffected by earlier Baccile Calmette Guerin infection. The QuantiFERON TB Gold test is also more specific and sensitive than tuberculin skin test.

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Tests During Tb Treatment

During treatment, a is done once a monthâor more oftenâto make sure that the antibiotics are working. You may have a chest X-ray at the end of treatment to use as a comparison in the future.

You may have tests to see if TB medicines are harming other parts of your body. These tests may include:

• Liver function tests.
• Eye tests, especially if you are taking ethambutol for TB treatment.
• Hearing tests, especially if you are taking streptomycin for TB treatment.

What Does The Test Measure

A TB blood test measures the amount of a specific protein called interferon-gamma that is produced by a persons T cells. T cells are a kind of white blood cell and are part of the bodys immune system.

To conduct a TB blood test, a sample of a persons blood is mixed with deactivated parts of the TB bacteria called antigens. The blood sample is placed under conditions to promote immune cell activity. At the end of the test, the amount of IFN-g is measured. The level of IFN-g corresponds with the amount of immune system activity in response to the TB antigens. Higher levels of IFN-g suggest that previous exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis is likely.

The TB blood test is one of two types of tests used to detect TB. The other type of test is a TB skin test.

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