Whole Blood Interferon γ Release Is a More Sensitive Marker of Prior Exposure to Than Are Antibody Responses.

For the zoonotic disease Q fever, serological analysis plays a dominant role in the diagnosis of infection and in pre-screening for past exposure prior to vaccination. A number of studies suggest that assessment of -specific T-cell IFNγ responses may be a more sensitive tool to assess past exposure. In this study, we assessed the performance of a whole blood IFNγ release assay in comparison to serological detection in an area of high Q fever incidence in 2014, up to seven years after initial exposure during the Dutch Q fever outbreak 2007-2010.