Disseminated tuberculosis after anti-TNF alpha treatment: Do not blindly trust the IGRA test.

Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin (Engl Ed)

Division of Internal Medicine, Military Teaching Hospital Sainte-Anne, 2, Boulevard Sainte-Anne, Toulon Cedex 9, France.

Published: February 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • Interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) is a test used to detect latent tuberculosis (TB) before starting certain biological treatments for inflammatory rheumatism.
  • A case study of a 50-year-old woman highlights that she had a negative IGRA test before starting adalimumab for her axial spondyloarthritis, but later developed disseminated TB with severe symptoms.
  • The case emphasizes the limitations of IGRA in detecting active TB, the need for thorough risk assessment before biological treatments, and the possibility of false-negative IGRA results.

Article Abstract

Introduction: Interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) is used to detect latent tuberculosis prior to biological treatments in the context of suspected inflammatory rheumatism.

Methods: We report the case of a 50-year-old woman with negative IGRA test before adalimumab introduction for presumed axial spondyloarthritis.

Results: The worsening of symptoms under treatment led to further investigations and the diagnostic of disseminated tuberculosis (TB) was later established with miliary and multiple bone locations such as spondylitis and sacroilitis. The patient's history revealed past exposure to tuberculosis. This observation illustrates the limitations of IGRA in such situation due to its variable performance for active TB diagnosis.

Conclusion: Misdiagnosis is frequent in bone tuberculosis due to non-specific signs. We draw the attention to the importance of a global risk assessment prior to the introduction of biological treatment for suspected chronic inflammatory rheumatism and recall the risk factors for false-negative IGRA. An extended treatment course may be necessary after exposure to anti-TNF-alpha.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eimce.2023.06.006DOI Listing

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