• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.90-97
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• 2013

The tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon gamma (IFN-${\gamma}$) release assay (IGRA) have been widely used for diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). In order to overcome limitations of current LTBI diagnostic methods, the development of a novel molecular assay which is able to measure the IFN-${\gamma}$ messenger RNA (mRNA) expression level after stimulation with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) specific antigen was recently developed. The ability of a molecular assay to detect MTB infection was similar to commercial IGRA however, the optimal incubation time for stimulating IFN-${\gamma}$ was not yet established. Therefore, in this study the direct comparisons of MTB Ag stimulation times (4 and 24 hrs) were performed for diagnosis of MTB infection. Data showed that the coincident rate between QFT-GIT IFN-${\gamma}$ ELISA and IFN-${\gamma}$ RT-PCR (4 hrs) was 88.35% and that of QFT-GIT and IFN-${\gamma}$ RT-PCR (24 hrs) was 70.85%. Based on a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the 4 hrs-MTB specific Ag stimulation time for IFN-${\gamma}$ RT-PCR had the significant P value, 95% CI value, and AUC (P < 0.0001, 95% CI=0.82 to 1.02, and AUC=0.9214) in comparison with 24 hrs-MTB specific Ag stimulation time (P = 0.009, 95% CI=0.06 to 0.94, and AUC=0.7711). These results show that 4-hr was the most optimal MTB Ag stimulation time for performing IFN-${\gamma}$ RT-PCR. Although semi-quantitative RT-PCR had a few analytical limitations, it might be useful as an alternative molecular diagnostic method for detecting MTB infection.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제61권11호
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• pp.366-370
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• 2018

Purpose: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most important diseases that cause significant mortality and morbidity in young children. Data on TB transmission from an infected child are limited. Herein, we report a case of disseminated TB in a child and conducted a contact investigation among exposed individuals. Methods: A 4-year-old child without Bacille Calmette-$Gu{\acute{e}}rin$ vaccination was diagnosed as having culture-proven disseminated TB. The child initially presented with symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease, and nosocomial and kindergarten exposures were reported. The exposed individuals to the index case were divided into 3 groups, namely household, nosocomial, or kindergarten contacts. Evaluation was performed following the Korean guidelines for TB. Kindergarten contacts were further divided into close or casual contacts. Chest radiography and tuberculin skin test or interferon-gamma-releasing assay were performed for the contacts. Results: We examined 327 individuals (3 household, 10 nosocomial, and 314 kindergarten contacts), of whom 18 (5.5%), the brother of the index patient, and 17 kindergarten children were diagnosed as having latent TB infection (LTBI). LTBI diagnosis was more frequent in the children who had close kindergarten contact with the index case (17.1% vs. 4.4%, P=0.007). None of the cases had active TB. Conclusion: This is the first reported case of TB transmission among young children from a pediatric patient with disseminated TB in Korea. TB should be emphasized as a possible cause of chronic diarrhea and failure to thrive in children. A national TB control policy has been actively applied to identify Korean children with LTBI.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.91-96
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• 2015

목적: 본 연구는 결핵 접촉자 조사에서 수집된 자료를 분석하고 그 결과를 평가하고자 계획되었다. 방법: 2012년 8월부터 2014년 7월까지 만 19세 이상의 배양검사 양성인 폐결핵 환자의 소아청소년 접촉자들의 진료기록을 검토하였다. 결과: 배양검사 양성인 폐결핵 환자 79명과 그들의 소아청소년 접촉자 116명이 확인되었다. 확인된 접촉자 116명 중 22%는 접촉자 검진을 중단하였다. 접촉자 검진을 완료한 90명 중 TST 음성이 42%이고 TST 양성이 58%였으며, 검진 기간 중 1%가 활동성 폐결핵으로 진단되었다. 항산균 도말 검사 음성 결핵 환자들의 접촉자 50명의 TST 양성률은 50%였다. 5세 이상의 연령(OR 8.3; 95% CI 2.3-30)과 남성(OR 3.9; 95% CI 1.5-9.9)이 접촉자 검진 중단과 유의하게 연관되었다. 결론: 활동성 폐결핵 환자들의 접촉자들을 확인하고 올바르게 검진하기 위해서 접촉자 검진 과정의 개선이 필요하다.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제68권5호
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• pp.280-285
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• 2010

Background: $QuantiFERON^{(R)}$-TB Gold In Tube (QFT-G IT) has been used for diagnosing latent tuberculosis infection and active tuberculosis (TB) since 2007. However, there has not been enough data on QFT-G IT for universal use in children. In this study, we evaluated the clinical usefulness of the QFT-G IT in pediatric practice. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 70 patients younger than 18 years of age who had taken QFT-G IT and had a tuberculin skin test (TST) between July 2007 and July 2009 at Wonju Christian Hospital. The subjects were divided into two groups, asymptomatic TB exposure group and disease group. Four patients who were taking immunosuppressants during the study period were excluded. Results: A total of 66 immunocompetent children were included in this study. Among 27 asymptomatic children who had contact histories of TB, 6 (22.2%) were found to be positive by QFT-G IT. Eleven (40.7%) and 5 (18.5%) children were found to be positive by TST with cutoff values of ${\geq}5mm$ and ${\geq}10mm$, respectively. Agreement was fair to good between QFT-G IT and TST (${\kappa}=0.59$: cutoff value ${\geq}5mm$, ${\kappa}=0.7$: cutoff value ${\geq}10mm$). In disease group, 14 patients (35.9%) were diagnosed with active tuberculosis, 8/14 (57.1%) were positive on TST and 9/14 (64.3%) on QFT-G IT. The positive rate of acid-fast bacilli smear, TB-polymerase chain reaction, and culture for tuberculosis was 11% (1/9), 27.3% (3/11) and 33.3% (3/9), respectively. Conclusion: Our data support that the QFT-G IT can be used as an additional diagnostic tool for latent and active tuberculosis infection in children.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• 제33권47호
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• pp.292.1-292.10
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• 2018

Background: We investigated the incidence of active tuberculosis among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, with or without latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Methods: The study was performed at a Korean tertiary referral center between January 2011 and June 2017. In total, 740 patients with IBD who underwent LTBI screening tests and were followed-up for ${\geq}1$ year after TNF inhibitor treatment initiation were enrolled. LTBI was detected on the basis of tuberculin skin test results, interferon-gamma release assay results, chest X-ray findings, and previous tuberculosis treatment history. The patients were classified into LTBI (n = 84) or non-LTBI (n = 656) group. The risk of developing tuberculosis in each group was assessed on the basis of standardized incidence ratio (SIR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for active tuberculosis. Results: Mean patient age was 33.1 years, and patients with Crohn's disease were predominant (80.7%). Within 1 year after the initiation of TNF inhibitor treatment, 1 patient in the LTBI group (1/84; 1.2%) and 7 patients in the non-LTBI group (7/656; 1.1%) developed active tuberculosis. The overall 1-year incidence of tuberculosis among the patients was significantly higher than that among the general population (SIR, 14.0; 95% CI, 7.0-28.0), and SIR was not affected by LTBI status (LTBI group: 14.5, 95% CI, 2.0-102.6; non-LTBI group: 14.0, 95% CI, 6.7-29.4). Conclusion: Patients with IBD undergoing TNF inhibitor treatment showed a higher 1-year incidence of tuberculosis than the general population irrespective of LTBI status.

• 한국동물위생학회지
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.201-209
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• 2020

In Korea, bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a representative zoonotic disease that causes considerable economic loss. In determining the positive bTB, the ELISA method for examining the amount of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is included in Korea's diagnostic standard method. Recently, commercially available BIONOTE TB-Feron ELISA Plus (TB-Feron Plus) that detects IFN-γ has been introduced. However, since the scientific basis for the performance is limited, we evaluated performance by comparing it with the results of another IFN-γ ELISA assay kit (BOVIGAM®) certified by Office International des Epizooties. In our research, 42 positive blood samples preliminarily tested with a tuberculin skin test and/or BOVIGAM® and 54 negative blood samples collected from three bTB free farms were subjected to IFN-γ assay using the TB-Feron Plus and the BOVIGAM®, respectively. The result shows that the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 81.0% (34/42), 100% (54/54), 91.7% (88/96) in TB-Feron Plus kit and 78.6% (33/42), 100% (54/54), 90.6% (87/96) in BOVIGAM® kit, respectively. Moreover, the overall accordance percentage of the two kits was 99.0% (95/96) and there was almost perfect agreement between two assays (Kappa=0.977, P<0.0001). Furthermore, additional studies confirmed that elevated lymphocyte numbers in blood did not interfere with the results of the TB-Feron Plus kit. And, delayed time from sampling to culture decreased the optical density (OD) value. Therefore, we concluded that the TB-Feron Plus kit was not inferior to BOVIGAM® in performance. High lymphocyte numbers in blood did not impact on TB-Feron Plus results, while delayed time before culture interfered with OD value.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.174-179
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• 2008

목 적 : 청소년 결핵은 다른 연령층과 구분되는 특징을 보이나 이에 대한 연구는 부족한 상태이다. 저자들은 단일기관에서 경험한 청소년 결핵의 임상적 특징을 알아보고자 하였다. 방 법 : 2003년 1월부터 2007년 12월까지 울산지역 이차병원인 동강병원에서 결핵으로 진단되어 입원된 12-18세 청소년을 대상으로 의무기록지와 흉부방사선 및 HRCT 소견을 통한 후향적 조사를 시행하였다. 결 과 : 총 29명 환자가 결핵으로 입원하였으며 평균 연령은 16.9세(범위 12.1-18.9세)였고 남녀비는 1.9:1이었다. 도시거주자가 농촌거주자보다 2.2배 많았다. TST는 6례(20.7%)에서 시행하였는데 12-15세 사이 8례(A군) 5례(62.5%), 16-18세 사이 21례(B군) 중 1례(4.8%)에서 시행하여 연령이 증가할수록 TST 시행빈도가 감소하였다(P<0.01). 결핵으로 진단하게 된 동기는 결핵과 관련된 임상증상으로 25례(86.2%), 선별검사에 의해 4례(13.8%)가 확인되었고 접촉자 추적조사로 확인된 경우는 1례도 없었다. 침범부위는 폐결핵이 20례(69.9%)로서 가장 많았고 폐결핵과 폐외결핵이 동반된 경우가 7례(24.1%), 폐외결핵만 있었던 경우가 2례(6.9%)였다. 대부분 환자들은 여러 증상을 호소하였는데 기침 23례 (79.3%), 발열 22례(75.9%), 객담 19례(65.5%), 흉통 10례(34.5%) 등이 흔한 증상이었다. 결핵균은 20례(69.0%)에서 검출되었는데 모두 객담에서 검출되었다. HRCT 소견에서 공동형성이 13례(44.8%) 관찰되었다. 결핵균 검출률과 HRCT에서 공동형성 빈도는 A군보다 B군에서 높은 추세를 보였다(P>0.1). 치료도중에 추적관찰이 중단된 경우가 4례(13.8%)였고 재발된 경우가 1례(3.4%)였다. 결 론 : 청소년 결핵은 다른 연령층에 비해 신환 발생률이 높고 공동형성과 결핵균의 검출률이 높아 결핵균의 전파 가능성이 높기 때문에 결핵관리 및 공중보건 차원에서 보다 적극적인 관심과 연구가 필요하다.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.137-146
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• 2006

목 적 : BCG 접종 후 가장 흔하게 발생하는 이상 반응인 국소 림프절염이 동반된 소아들을 대상으로 이들이 접종받은 BCG 균주의 비율, 림프절 크기에 따른 화농화 빈도, 약물치료 여부에 따른 임상 경과를 조사하여 이에 대한 발생 요인을 찾고, 치료방향을 설정하는데 도움이 되고자 본 연구를 시도하였다. 방 법 : 1997년부터 6년의 기간동안 가톨릭대학교 성빈센트병원 소아과 외래에 내원한 환아 중 BCG 접종 후에 발생한 국소 림프절염으로 진단된 생후 24개월 미만의 영유아 52명을 대상으로 하였다. BCG 균주의 종류, 접종 장소, 림프절염의 위치와 크기를 의무기록을 통하여 후향적으로 확인하였고, BCG 균주, 림프절염의 크기, 자연 치유율 및 화농화간의 상관관계를 조사하였다. 결 과 : BCG 접종 후 국소 림프절염의 첫 발견시기의 연령은 평균 5.5개월이었으며, 내원시의 림프절 크기가 클수록 첫 발견시기의 연령이 어렸고, 발생부위는 BCG를 접종한 같은 쪽의 겨드랑 부위가 가장 흔하였다. 대상군 52례 중 Pasteur 균주를 피내 접종한 군이 46례(88.5%)로 대부분을 차지하였고, Tokyo 균주를 경피 다천자법으로 접종한 군은 5례(9.6%)이었다. 이 중 28례(53.8%)는 자연 치유되었고 24례(46.2%)는 화농되었는데 림프절의 크기가 클수록 화농 빈도는 의미있게 높았으나, 균주에 따른 차이는 없었다. 약물치료는 화농 예방에 효과가 없었으며 치유기간을 단축시키지도 못했다. 결 론 : BCG 후의 림프절염의 발생은 균주와 접종방법에 따른 차이가 있는 것으로 예측된다. 약물치료는 효과가 없었으므로 권장되지 않으며 특히 비화농성인 경우는 자연히 소실될 수도 있기에 치료없이 관찰만이 요구된다. 이상적인 BCG는 접종 후 반흔을 남기고, 결핵 피부반응검사에 영향을 덜미치면서 이상반응이 적게 나타나며 저렴한 것이다. 이러한 조건을 가장 많이 충족시키는 BCG 균주를 선택하여 사용하는 노력이 필요하다 하겠다.