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TB Management

TB Risk Groups

Who is at risk for TB?

It is estimated that up to 10% of people infected with M. tuberculosis will develop active TB in their lifetime. About one-quarter of the world’s population has a TB infection. The vast majority have no signs or symptoms of TB disease and are not infectious, although they are at risk of developing active TB disease and becoming infectious.

Who is at risk for TB - infographic
  • Biologics
    Treatment with biologic agents, in particular tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors, has revolutionized the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. However, patients receiving anti-TNF-α therapy are at increased risk of TB infection.
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    Female doctor talking to older male patient
  • Diabetes
    Diabetes is increasingly being recognized as an independent risk factor for TB. Someone with untreated latent TB infection and diabetes is more likely to develop TB disease than someone without diabetes. See how the development of TB in diabetes patients can be prevented by actively testing and treating LTBI.
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    District nurse at home visit, patient, Healthcare worker
  • Pediatrics
    Once infected with the TB bacteria, children with vulnerable immune systems are most at risk of progressing to active TB disease. TB is preventable, yet over 1.1 million children become ill with it every year. Find out how we can protect children from TB.
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    Latin mother with young girl
  • Healthcare Workers
    Healthcare workers are at increased risk of tuberculosis infection compared to the general population. How can we protect them and patients in healthcare settings from TB? Learn about TB screening and testing guidelines recommended in healthcare settings for TB control.
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    3 healthcare workers, nurses, standing in bright room, talking, looking at tablet, QFT
  • Female doctor talking to older male patient
    Biologics
  • District nurse at home visit, patient, Healthcare worker
    Diabetes
  • Latin mother with young girl
    Pediatrics
  • 3 healthcare workers, nurses, standing in bright room, talking, looking at tablet, QFT
    Healthcare Workers
The COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting TB testing services
International efforts have succeeded in slowing the COVID-19 pandemic, but responding to COVID-19 has also forced disruption of TB control programs around the globe. Such disruption has reversed a decade of progress against TB, with a recent report released by Stop TB suggesting the potential for an additional 1.4 million tuberculosis deaths by 2025, due to COVID-19-related disruption to TB prevention services (2).
Finding ways to integrate TB and COVID-19 care programs

Dr. Alistair Story, from London’s Find&Treat mobile health service discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the service and how the lessons learned through years of running the service has helped it to manage the additional burden of COVID-19.

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QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus tubes
Improve TB screening with QFT-Plus
  • Single patient visit
  • Unaffected by BCG vaccination
  • >94% sensitivity
  • >97% specificity
  • Innovative CD8+ T cell technology

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References:
  1. World Health Organization. (2020) WHO consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis: tuberculosis preventive treatment. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331170/9789240001503-eng.pdf
  2. Stop TB Partnership in collaboration with Imperial College, Avenir Health, Johns Hopkins University and USAID. The potential impact of the COVID-19 response on tuberculosis in high-burden countries: a modeling analysis.

QFT-Plus is an in vitro diagnostic aid for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. QFT-Plus is an indirect test for M. tuberculosis infection (including disease) and is intended for use in conjunction with risk assessment, radiography, and other medical and diagnostic evaluations. QFT-Plus Package Inserts, available in multiple languages, as well as up-to-date licensing information and product-specific disclaimers can be found at www.QuantiFERON.com.