Utilisation Du Quantiferon Dans La Strategie de Depistage De La Tuberculose Latente Avant Initiation Des Traitements Par Anti tnf

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem worldwide and particularly in Algeria, a country with intermediate endemicity. Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) represents a significant risk of reactivation in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases on anti-TNF therapy due to the key role of TNF-α in maintaining granulomas. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) test for screening LTBI before anti-TNF treatment in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases at Sétif University Hospital. This retrospective observational study included 117 patients. All underwent pre-therapeutic assessment with clinical exam, chest X-ray, and QFT-Plus (with or without IDR). QFT-Plus was positive in 9 patients (7.7%). Concordance with IDR was very good and indeterminate results were very low (<1%). Anti-TB prophylaxis was started in all positive cases. These results highlight QFT-Plus as a reliable and practical tool, especially in BCG-vaccinated individuals, and confirm the importance of systematic screening before anti-TNF therapy in Algeria