Interferon- Release Assays Improve the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis and Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Disease in Children in a Country with a Low Incidence of Tuberculosis

Abstract

Both IGRAs showed high diagnostic value in bacteriologically confirmed childhood TB. Their advantage in this study, when performed in addition to the TST, was the ability to distinguish -positive TST results caused by nontuberculous mycobacterial disease, thereby reducing overdiagnosis of TB and guiding clinical management.