In reply to ‘Interferon-gamma release assays have suboptimal sensitivity in both latent and active tuberculosis'

Abstract

[Extract] We thank Goetzinger et al. for their interest and comments about our work.1 They raise a number of valid points about the suboptimal performance of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) in the diagnosis of tuberculous infection in pediatric populations. The tuberculin skin test (TST) and IGRA tests have known limitations for the diagnosis of latent tuberculous infection (LTBI).2 We propose, as suggested by Goetzinger et al., that these tests should be interpreted in the full clinical context.