Pediatrics

Tuberculosis prevention in children

Children can get infected with tuberculosis (TB) bacteria (M. tuberculosis) and not have active disease. However, once infected, children with vulnerable immune systems, such as the very young, HIV-infected or severely malnourished, are most at risk of progressing to active TB disease.

Even though TB is a preventable and curable disease, it continues to impact the lives and development of children in the US and throughout the world.

Children represent about 11% of all people with TB globally, with over 1.1 million children falling ill with it every year (1). In 2020, 317 cases of TB among children were reported in the US, which accounts for 4% of all cases reported (2).

Can we protect children from TB?

Yes – latent TB infection (LTBI) testing and treatment can ensure TB disease prevention after exposure to the TB bacteria. Watch a webinar below with pediatric TB experts to understand how testing and treating pediatric LTBI can help prevent development of TB disease in children.

An infographic titled Burden of childhood TB, showing 11% of all TB cases globally on the left and 4% of all TB cases in the US on the right

Pediatric TB testing recommendations

TB blood testing is preferred by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in children ages 2 years and older, especially those with BCG vaccine (3). TB blood tests (IGRAs) are also preferred over TB skin tests (TSTs) in children that are unlikely to return for a skin test reading and are acceptable in children under age 2.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends testing for TB with IGRAs for most individuals aged 5 years or older, and strongly recommends IGRAs for patients who are BCG-vaccinated or unlikely to return for a TST reading (4).

GET THE FLYER

Male boy with mask talking to a doctor, Pediatrics

Join TB experts as they discuss the importance of testing and treating pediatric LTBI

In this webinar, pediatric TB experts Dr. Ann M Loeffler (Pediatric TB Consultant Curry International Tuberculosis Center) and Dr. Danilo Buonsenso (Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli”), along with our moderator Dr. Riccardo Alagna (Medical Affairs, Infectious diseases and TB, QIAGEN), discuss the role of LTBI testing in clinical and diagnostic TB management of children. They also present international recommendations and LTBI tests performances in the context of LTBI diagnosis.

GO TO THE WEBINAR

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References:

WHO. (2021) WHO consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis. Module 5: Management of tuberculosis in children and adolescents.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TB in Children in the United States. https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/populations/tbinchildren (accessed March 31, 2022)
Nolt D, Starke JR; AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases. (2021) Tuberculosis Infection in Children and Adolescents: Testing and Treatment. Pediatrics, 148(6).
Lewinsohn, D. (2016) Official ATS/IDSA/CDC Clinical Practice Guidelines: Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in adults and children. Clin. Infect. Dis. 64, 111–115

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.