Description
QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus, 1 Tube QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) is a simple blood test that aids in the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), the bacteria which causes tuberculosis (TB). QuantiFERON-TB Plus Blood Test is used to aid in identifying infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes Tuberculosis (TB). One of only 2 FDA-approved blood tests for TB, the Quantiferon test provides a convenient testing option with a higher degree of accuracy than other older methods for TB testing. The Quantiferon test has a sensitivity as high as 94% in detecting infection with TB. Unlike the 2-step skin test for Tuberculosis, a blood test requires only one trip to the lab for a simple blood draw.
Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease that typically affects the lungs but can also attack other parts of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. TB bacteria is spread through the air from one person to another. It is not spread by physical contact such as shaking hands or touching objects that have been handled by someone with TB. Most people infected with TB develop a latent infection, meaning the bacteria is present in their body but kept in check by the immune system. People with a latent TB infection do not experience symptoms and cannot spread the disease to others but will often show positive results from a TB blood test. A latent infection may take years to transition to a case of active Tuberculosis disease or it may remain latent indefinitely. This is the same test with the same fundamental principles as the standard TB test, but is more advanced at detecting TB. The Gold Plus test has been optimized in such an innovative way with the TB-specific antigens that elicit CD8 and CD4 T cell responses.
