Screening for tuberculosis infection among newly arrived asylum seekers: comparison of QuantiFERONTB Gold with tuberculin skin test.

Background: QuantiFERONTB Gold (QFT) is a promising blood test for tuberculosis infection but with few data so far from immigrant screening. The aim of this study was to compare results of QFT and tuberculin skin test (TST) among newly arrived asylum seekers in Norway and to assess the role of QFT in routine diagnostic screening for latent tuberculosis infection.

Methods: The 1000 asylum seekers (age > or = 18 years) enrolled in the study were voluntarily recruited from 2813 consecutive asylum seekers arriving at the national reception centre from September 2005 to June 2006.