The Role of Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) Testing in the TB Testing Program

DATE:  August 11, 2020

TIME:   9:00am PDT

The goal of TB elimination, less than 1 case per million people per year, can only be achieved through a concerted effort to detect and treat persons infected with TB, which includes those persons with latent TB infection (LTBI). Persons with LTBI have been exposed to TB and although they are not infectious, they are at risk of progressing to active TB disease. Therefore, laboratory tests that can detect persons with LTBI play an essential role. A common way to test for exposure to TB is with a TB skin test (TST). Alternatively, there are blood tests, Interferon Gamma Release Assays (IGRAs). Both methods rely on detecting a person’s immune response if they have been exposed to TB. However, there are some advantages to IGRA testing, particularly since this testing is performed in a controlled laboratory environment and elicits a more specific immune response. This presentation will discuss the pros and cons of performing IGRA testing as part of the TB testing program and the impact of recent changes in IGRA testing methodology.

Learning Objectives:

• Review the role of IGRAs in the diagnosis of TB infection
• Summarize recent changes in IGRA testing including guidelines associated with testing certain populations
• Discuss the implementation of IGRA testing in a public health testing program

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LabRoots is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E. ® Program. By attending this webinar, you can earn 1 Continuing Education credit once you have viewed the webinar in its entirety.