Swiss experts recommend QuantiFERON-TB gold

Swiss experts have abandoned the over 100 year old tuberculin skin test favoring the use of interferon-a release assays such as QuantiFERON-TB Gold for screening patients for tuberculosis infection prior to initiating biological treatments (such as anti-tumor necrosis factor-a therapy). QFT is being comercialized by Australian biotechnology group Cellestis International.

In recommendations published in the current issue of the Swiss Medical Weekly, experts advocate the use of QFT in place of the TST, as it is more accurate (sensitive and specific) than the TST in individuals with immune suppression and provides rapid and reproducible results. These recommendations come after the recent approval of the In-Tube format of QFT by the US Food and Drug Administration and its widespread use in Europe and Asia for a number of years.