期刊名称：Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health
印刷版ISSN：2282-0930
出版年度：2019
卷号：16
期号：2
页码：1-6
DOI：10.2427/13123
出版社：PREX
摘要：Background: healthcare workers (HCWs) are at higher risk of being exposed to tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this study
was to estimate LTBI prevalence and evaluate associated risk factors among Italian HCWs using a new generation
IGRA test, Quantiferon Plus (QTF-Plus), providing also an analytical evaluation of this test.
Methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted during the annual health surveillance program performed in 2017,
evaluating 1470 HCWs of a teaching hospital in Rome, tested with QTF-Plus. A standardized questionnaire was
collected for multivariate risk analysis. The independent variables associated with a higher frequency of LTBI were
tested in a multivariate logistic regression model.
Results: LTBI was diagnosed in 50 out of 1470 (3.4%) of HCWs. The male gender and age>40 years were
significantly associated with the risk of LTBI. The levels of interferon-γ were significantly lower in subjects with a recent
conversion than in those with an older positivity. Moreover, interferon-γ values exceeding 8 IU/ml were recorded in 8
out of 35 remote subjects but in no recent subjects. The concordance between TB1 and TB2 results was 88%, while in
6 out of 50 subjects we found a discrepancy.
Conclusion: the LTBI condition among Italian HCWs was very low. In subjects with discordant outcomes between TB1
and TB2, especially when the test values are close to the cut-off, is recommended a repetition of the test to confirm
its positivity.
其他摘要：Background : healthcare workers (HCWs) are at higher risk of being exposed to tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this study was to estimate LTBI prevalence and evaluate associated risk factors among Italian HCWs using a new generation IGRA test, Quantiferon Plus (QTF-Plus), providing also an analytical evaluation of this test. Methods : this cross-sectional study was conducted during the annual health surveillance program performed in 2017, evaluating 1470 HCWs of a teaching hospital in Rome, tested with QTF-Plus. A standardized questionnaire was collected for multivariate risk analysis. The independent variables associated with a higher frequency of LTBI were tested in a multivariate logistic regression model. Results : LTBI was diagnosed in 50 out of 1470 (3.4%) of HCWs. The male gender and age>40 years were significantly associated with the risk of LTBI. The levels of interferon-γ were significantly lower in subjects with a recent conversion than in those with an older positivity. Moreover, interferon-γ values exceeding 8 IU/ml were recorded in 8 out of 35 remote subjects but in no recent subjects. The concordance between TB1 and TB2 results was 88%, while in 6 out of 50 subjects we found a discrepancy. Conclusion : the LTBI condition among Italian HCWs was very low. In subjects with discordant outcomes between TB1 and TB2, especially when the test values are close to the cut-off, is recommended a repetition of the test to confirm its positivity.
