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No. 56 (PM 5)
Tuberculosis screening by a T cell interferon-γ release assay in students of medical
school and international students in Gunma University
Rumi Watanabe 1) , Takao Kimura 2) , Yutaka Tokue 3) , Takayuki Ogiwara 3) , Makoto Nara 3) , Yoshino
Kobayashi 1) , Toshiya Inoue 1) , Hiroyuki Sumino 1) , Tadashi Morimura 1) , Osamu Araki 1) , Katsuhiko
Tsunekawa 1) , Tomoyuki Aoki 1) , Toshiko Obuchi 3) , Yukie Yomoda 1) , Kihachi Ohshima 2) , Masami
1, 2, 3)
Murakami
1) Clinical Laboratory Center, Gunma University Hospital, Maebashi, Japan. 2) Department of Clinical
Laboratory Medicine, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan, 3)Infection
Control and Prevention Center, Gunma University Hospital, Maebashi, Japan
Screening and targeted testing for tuberculosis (TB) is a key strategy for controlling and preventing
infection on university campus and teaching hospital. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen-specific
interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) are used to detect latent tuberculosis infection. In Japan, it is
desirable to obtain basal data of IGRAs in medical school students and international students. To
evaluate tuberculosis risk in university campus and medical school at course entry, retrospective study
was performed. One thousand two hundred seventy-one students (887 medical students and 384
international students in Gunma University) underwent QunatiFERON-TB Gold test (QFT-TB) or
QunatiFERON-TB In-Tube test (QFT-GIT) at course entry. Eight of 887 medical students (0.9%) were
positive for QFT-TB or QFT-GIT, and none was diagnosed to have active tuberculosis among positive
students. Thirty of 384 international students (7.8%) were positive for QFT-GIT, and 2 students of 30
QFT-GIT positive students (6.7%) were diagnosed active tuberculosis during follow up. Positive ratio of
QFT-GIT in international students of Gunma University was significantly higher than that of medical
students. We propose tuberculosis screening with QFT-GIT test as a standard approach for medical
students and international students in Japan.
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