The immune response to infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is mediated predominantly through T cell activation. As part of this response, T cells are sensitized to MTB antigens and the activated effector T cells, both CD4+ and CD8+, produce the cytokine interferon-gamma when stimulated by these antigens. The T-SPOT. TB test uses the enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) methodology to enumerate M. tuberculosis-sensitized T cells by capturing interferon-gamma in the vicinity of T cells from which it was secreted.
When your test looks for signs of TB infection using T cells, it matters how many T cells you include. The T-SPOT.TB test, unlike other tests, uses the same number each time. And it’s a big number: 250,000 cells per well, four wells per test.1 That’s a million witnesses to infection – and a moment of truth for TB.
Advantages For Patients
- 1 tube, 1 visit TB Blood Test with low blood volume requirements
- the only T Blood Test cleared by FDA for ages 2+
- only TB Blood Test without a warning of limitation for screening immunocompromised individuals
Advantages For Clinicians
- no refrigeration or on-site incubation necessary
- the only TB Test with sensitivity of 95.6% and specificity of 97.1%
- no cross-reaction with the BCG vaccine or the most common non-tuberculosis mycobacteria
For questions and inquiries, please contact us.