I can't see any medical reason that that would happen!

Malaria would make a person's general immune response rise and that would be corrected for in the test as follows:

 - The amount of background interferon-gamma that is detected in the Quantiferon Nil tube gets subtracted from the interferon-gamma that is measured in the TB antigen-specific tubes: that means the result should remain accurate.

Of course one's pre-test probability of TB and clinical assessment should always drive the testing and treatment plans.

Best,
Wendy Thanassi MD

On Sun, Jan 28, 2024 at 11:05 AM Voss, Sue <Sue.Voss@nmhs.org> wrote:

Does treatment for malaria cause a false positive in the IGRA?

 

Thank you,

Sue Voss MS, BSN, RN, NE-BC, CCRN-K
Director, Learning Center & Employee Health
Nebraska Methodist Health System
825 S 169th St, 161, Omaha NE 68118
Phone:  (402) 354-5694
Learning Center Fax: (402) 354-5466
Employee Health Fax: (402) 354-8819
sue.voss@nmhs.org 

 

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