Utilization of the QuantiFERON-TB gold test in a two-step process with the tuberculin skin test to evaluate health care workers for latent tuberculosis

Abstract

A cost analysis of combining a tuberculin skin test (TST) and the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (QFT-GT) to detect latent tuberculosis in newly hired health care workers was performed. An approximately 50% reduction in the cost of additional care was realized when workers with positive TST results were subsequently screened using the QFT-GT. Copyright © 2010, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.