BACKGROUND: Use of the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube assay (QFT-GIT) in remote areas is limited by the need to incubate blood samples within 12 h of collection. PortaTherm™ is a portable, electricity-free, phase-change incubator previously used for field collection of microbiological samples. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the PortaTherm can be used for the reliable incubation of QFT-GIT samples, thus enabling QFT-GIT use in settings distant from laboratory facilities. METHODS: In a prospective comparative study in Peru, blood samples were collected from 50 participants and processed in three parallel QFT-GIT tests per participant; two were incubated in a conventional incubator; the third was incubated in the PortaTherm. RESULTS: All 150 QFT-GIT tests gave definitive results, and for 46 of the 50 participants all three tests were concordant, eight of which were positive. Four participants had one discordant result: two due to discordance of a conventional incubator QFT-GIT result, and two due to discordant PortaTherm QFT-GIT results. CONCLUSION: The QFT-GIT inter-incubator variability between the PortaTherm and conventional incubator was no greater than the intra-incubator variability for the conventional incubator, indicating that the PortaTherm is a suitable tool for incubating QFT-GIT whole blood samples in remote settings where access to a laboratory or electricity is limited.
BACKGROUND: Use of the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube assay (QFT-GIT) in remote areas is limited by the need to incubate blood samples within 12 h of collection. PortaTherm™ is a portable, electricity-free, phase-change incubator previously used for field collection of microbiological samples. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the PortaTherm can be used for the reliable incubation of QFT-GIT samples, thus enabling QFT-GIT use in settings distant from laboratory facilities. METHODS: In a prospective comparative study in Peru, blood samples were collected from 50 participants and processed in three parallel QFT-GIT tests per participant; two were incubated in a conventional incubator; the third was incubated in the PortaTherm. RESULTS: All 150 QFT-GIT tests gave definitive results, and for 46 of the 50 participants all three tests were concordant, eight of which were positive. Four participants had one discordant result: two due to discordance of a conventional incubator QFT-GIT result, and two due to discordant PortaTherm QFT-GIT results. CONCLUSION: The QFT-GIT inter-incubator variability between the PortaTherm and conventional incubator was no greater than the intra-incubator variability for the conventional incubator, indicating that the PortaTherm is a suitable tool for incubating QFT-GIT whole blood samples in remote settings where access to a laboratory or electricity is limited.
Authors: H Mahomed; E J Hughes; T Hawkridge; D Minnies; E Simon; F Little; W A Hanekom; L Geiter; G D Hussey Journal: Int J Tuberc Lung Dis Date: 2006-03 Impact factor: 2.373
Authors: Annie F Luetkemeyer; Edwin D Charlebois; Laura L Flores; David R Bangsberg; Steven G Deeks; Jeffrey N Martin; Diane V Havlir Journal: Am J Respir Crit Care Med Date: 2007-01-11 Impact factor: 21.405
Authors: Madhukar Pai; Rajnish Joshi; Sandeep Dogra; Deepak K Mendiratta; Pratibha Narang; Shriprakash Kalantri; Arthur L Reingold; John M Colford; Lee W Riley; Dick Menzies Journal: Am J Respir Crit Care Med Date: 2006-05-11 Impact factor: 21.405
Authors: A K Detjen; L Loebenberg; H M S Grewal; K Stanley; A Gutschmidt; C Kruger; N Du Plessis; M Kidd; N Beyers; G Walzl; A C Hesseling Journal: Clin Vaccine Immunol Date: 2009-06-17
Authors: Jason R Andrews; Krishna G Prajapati; Elizabeth Eypper; Poojan Shrestha; Mila Shakya; Kamal R Pathak; Niva Joshi; Priyanka Tiwari; Manisha Risal; Samir Koirala; Abhilasha Karkey; Sabina Dongol; Shawn Wen; Amy B Smith; Duncan Maru; Buddha Basnyat; Stephen Baker; Jeremy Farrar; Edward T Ryan; Elizabeth Hohmann; Amit Arjyal Journal: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Date: 2013-06-27
Authors: Paul LaBarre; Kenneth R Hawkins; Jay Gerlach; Jared Wilmoth; Andrew Beddoe; Jered Singleton; David Boyle; Bernhard Weigl Journal: PLoS One Date: 2011-05-09 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: William C Whitworth; Donald J Goodwin; Laura Racster; Kevin B West; Stella O Chuke; Laura J Daniels; Brandon H Campbell; Jamaria Bohanon; Atheer T Jaffar; Wanzer Drane; Paul A Sjoberg; Gerald H Mazurek Journal: PLoS One Date: 2014-01-23 Impact factor: 3.240