IGRAs for immigration TB screening, 4/18

April 2018—The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a notification to U.S. civil surgeons stating it will require the use of FDA-approved interferon gamma release assays for tuberculosis screening. The CDC plans for the changes to medical screening guidelines to go into effect Oct. 1. The use of the tuberculin skin test will no longer be allowed for use in immigration screening, including for children under age five.

Qiagen said in a press release that it welcomes the decision by the CDC to use the blood-based test. The company’s QuantiFeron-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) assay, which was approved by the FDA in June 2017, is one of the tests that can be used in the screening.

QFT-Plus adds CD8 T cell stimulating antigens to existing CD4 antigens, which provides a broader immune assessment of TB infection.

Qiagen, 800-426-8157