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This document was developed by Annabel Baddeley and Anna Carlqvist (consultant), with inputs from Kerri Viney, Matteo Zignol and Farai Mavhunga, under the overall direction of Tereza Kasaeva, director, all at the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Programme.
Experts consulted during stakeholder consultation and external review
Globally, tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant cause of ill health and is a leading cause of death due to an infectious agent (1). The TB epidemic is attributable to five main health-related risk factors globally, namely, diabetes mellitus (diabetes), HIV, smoking, undernutrition, and disorders due to alcohol use. The contribution of these risk factors to the global TB burden is reported annually in the WHO global tuberculosis report (1).
Web Annex B. Conflict of interest assessment for experts contributing to the handbook content https://doi.org/10.2471/B09117
Web Annex A. Pharmacokinetics modelling and simulation studies for dosages of 6Lfx and 3HP https://doi.org/10.2471/B09127
The T-SPOT.TB has multiple steps (4). These steps are detailed below and shown in Fig. A2.3.1 (for sample preparation and testing procedures) and in Fig. A2.3.2 (for interpretation).
Step 1. Blood-sampling procedures
The procedures for collecting blood samples are similar to those of the QFT-Plus, except that direct blood draw into the incubation tubes is not recommended. Instead, blood samples are drawn into lithium heparin tubes and then transferred into the N, T and P tubes. One millilitre of whole blood sample is transferred into each of the test tubes. These tubes are then placed directly in a 37 °C ±1 °C incubator within 2 hours, and incubated for 20–24 hours. These steps are detailed below (3) and shown in Fig. A2.2.1 (up to incubation) and Fig. A2.2.2 (after incubation).