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The Tuberculin Skin Test and the IFN-γ Release Assays

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Tuberculosis in Clinical Practice

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Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a worldwide spread infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis which is transmitted through bacilli-containing aerosol droplets which are released from diseased persons, typically through sneezing or coughing. The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019 estimated 10 million new TB cases worldwide that led to 1.4 million deaths, thus ranking TB as the main cause of mortality from a single pathogen. In this chapter we briefly describe the immune pathogenesis of the infection and disease of tuberculosis. We provide insights on the importance of the innate and adaptive immunity and on the granuloma structure and functions. We also describe latent tuberculosis infection and the routine immune-based tests used to detect it. The accuracy issues of these tests to predict active TB development are discussed. Evaluation of potential microbiological biomarkers of latent M. tuberculosis infection is described as in process.

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Acknowledgments

I deeply thank Dr. Linda Petrone for the generation of the figures and Dr. Tonino Alonzi for the editing help of references. I thank both for the critical reading of the manuscript. The study was funded by Ricerca Corrente, Ministero della Salute Linea 4.

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  1. Translational Research Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Preclinical Research, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani–IRCCS, Rome, Italy

    Delia Goletti

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  1. Respiratory Medicine, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and the National Heart and Lung Institute Imperial College London, London, UK

    Onn Min Kon

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Goletti, D. (2021). The Tuberculin Skin Test and the IFN-γ Release Assays. In: Kon, O.M. (eds) Tuberculosis in Clinical Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75509-6_13

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