QFT-Plus, QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus, laboratory, scientists; 012017, (Persons, SpinTubePlate, Scientists, Laboratory, Handhandling, Photography, MDx, QuantiFERONPrevention (QFT))
TB Management

CD8 T cell technology

During M. tuberculosis infection, CD4 T cells play a critical role in immunological control by secretion of the cytokine IFN-γ. Evidence now also supports a role for CD8 T cells in host defense against M. tuberculosis, as they also play an essential role in MTB immunity.

CD8 T cells produce IFN-γ and other soluble factors to (1–3):

  • Suppress M. tuberculosis growth
  • Kill infected cells
  • Directly lyse intracellular Mycobacteria

Moreover, research indicates that TB-specific CD8 T cells that produce IFN-γ have been:

  • More frequently detected in those with active TB disease vs. latent infection (4, 5)
  • Associated with recent exposure to TB (6)
  • Detectable in active TB subjects with HIV co-infection and young children (7–9)
Tuberculosis test, QuantiFERON (QFT), Dr. Amee Patrawallatreats tuberculosis patients, including latent TB infections identified by QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube, in Newark, New Jersey. 11/2015, (Person/s, Photography, MDx, Doctor/Physician, Patient, Doctors office, Hospital, QuantiFERON/Prevention (QFT))
In this webinar, Dr. Lei Gao and Dr. Lucia Barcellini will discuss the predictive value of Interferon-Gamma Release Assays (IGRAs) and the role of CD4 and CD8 T cells in the immune response to TB. Watch this webinar to learn about the phenotypic and functional profiles of T cells as a valuable marker of disease activity, the protective efficacy of TB preventive therapy and its association with IGRA results in the context of its predictive value.

QFT-Plus provides the convenience of a single patient visit with electronic reporting, quantitative results and unparalleled accuracy.

In addition, QFT-Plus measures the cell-mediated immune response to MTB infection from both CD4 and CD8 T cells. Its proprietary antigen tubes, TB1 and TB2, stimulate both CD4 and CD8 T cell responses. TB1 is designed to target cell-mediated responses from CD4 T cells, while TB2 stimulates both CD4 and CD8 T cells. Thus, there’s potential for additional clinical information on the CD8 T cell response to TB infection by subtracting the TB1 from the TB2 tube. Research indicates that the CD8 T cell activity, as measured with TB2-TB1, shows a significant association with recent TB exposure, especially in patients with higher exposure and may prove to be a useful tool in identifying patients with recent latent TB (10).

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References
  1. Turner, J. et al. (1996) Immunology 87, 339.
  2. Brookes, R.H. et al. (2003) Eur. J. Immunol. 33, 3293.
  3. Stenger, S. et al. (1998) Science 282, 121.
  4. Day, C.L. et al. (2011) Functional capacity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific T cell responses in humans is associated with mycobacterial load. J. Immunol. 187, 2222.
  5. Rozot, V. et al. (2013) Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific CD8+ T cells are functionally and phenotypically different between latent infection and active disease. Eur. J. Immunol. 43, 1568.
  6. Nikolova, M. et al. (2013) Antigen-specific CD4- and CD8-positive signatures in different phases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 75, 277.
  7. Chicchio, T. et al. (2014) Polyfunctional T-cells and effector memory phenotype are associated with active TB in HIV-infected patients. J. Infect. 69, 533.
  8. Ongaya, A. et al. (2013) Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific CD8+ T cell recall in convalescing TB subjects with HIV co-infection. Tuberculosis 93, S60.
  9. Lanicioni, C. et al. (2012) CD8+ T cells provide an immunologic signature of tuberculosis in young children. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 185, 206.
  10. Viana Machado, F. et al. (2021) Evaluation of CD8+ response in QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus as a marker of recent infection. Respir. Med. 185, 106508.
For up-to-date licensing information and product-specific disclaimers, see the respective QIAGEN kit instructions for use or user operator manual. QIAGEN instructions for use and user manuals are available at www.qiagen.com or can be requested from QIAGEN Technical Services (or your local distributor).