Welcome to the webinar hub for QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) and TB testing.
The US CDC now recommends TB blood tests, like QFT-Plus, for the majority of the US testing population (1). Doctors and hospitals trust QFT-Plus to provide accurate, cost-effective testing in a single patient visit.
To learn more about the benefits of QFT-Plus testing and hear about the latest testing guidelines from the CDC, IDSA, USCIS and more, watch our most recent webinars.
Recent publications show the potential of QFT-Plus technology for at-risk patient populations — including contact investigation, healthcare worker screening and immunocompromised patients. In this webinar, Dr. Masae Kawamura discusses the latest scientific advancements in TB testing, including a review of recent publications and a discussion of case scenarios applying the insights of QFT-Plus.
Join Dr. Wendy Thanassi as she provides an overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB incidence, U.S. public health data on TB and LTBI and major U.S. healthcare policy guidelines. She also discusses the role of IGRA and LTBI treatment in these challenging times.
QFT-Plus features innovative CD8 T cell technology that provides clinicians with a more comprehensive picture of a patient’s immune response to TB. Join Dr. Alawode Oladele as he describes the importance of latent TB testing in the US. Dr. Oladele focuses on the benefits of modern TB blood testing with QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus.
Ending TB in children means ending TB in adults. Join Dr. Masae Kawamura to understand why children need to be screened for latent TB. In this webinar, Dr. Kawamura details testing recommendations from the AAP and describes how modern TB blood tests, like QFT-Plus, can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of latent TB diagnosis in children.
Patients receiving immunosuppressive and biologic therapy are at increased risk for TB reactivation and disease progression. In this webinar, Dr. Shereen Mahmood, Rheumatologist at Montefiore Medical Center, explores the benefits interferon-gamma release assays and their application as a primary screening method to help protect patients at risk. She’ll also describe best practices and TB screening algorithms that are endorsed by the American College of Rheumatology.
Healthcare facilities remain hubs for TB exposure and transmission. How can your hospital or practice reduce TB risks?
Find the answers with Dr. Masae Kawamura as she discusses the latest innovations in US TB control. You’ll learn about the CDC’s new emphasis on risk-based testing and TB education for healthcare personnel.
Healthcare providers (HCPs) are at increased risk of TB infection. In this webinar, Dr. Wendy Thanassi gives an overview of screening HCPs for TB infection. She discusses the risks of TB infection and latent TB reactivation in the occupational health setting and describes current testing guidelines. She also explains the operational and medical differences between the TST and modern TB blood tests (IGRAs).
Correctional facilities play a critical role in controlling TB. In this webinar, Dr. Masae Kawamura discusses recent policy advancements that are helping prevent tuberculosis in jails and prisons. You’ll learn about the latest diagnostic tools for TB infection as well as new TB preventative treatment regimens that are increasing compliance and decreasing cost.
Join Dr. Vlad Nikolayevskyy as he provides an overview of the policies, practices and recent publications on screening patients requiring initiation of biologic therapy for TB infection. He also discusses new preventive treatment regimens and the use of IGRAs as a primary screening method.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global crisis with wide-reaching health and economic implications, including TB and HIV services. Join Dr. Sonia Qasba as she reviews screening for TB infection and prevention during these times, along with U.S. and global trends in COVID-19 epidemiology.
Someone with untreated latent TB infection (LTBI) and diabetes is more likely to develop tuberculosis (TB) disease than someone without diabetes. In this webinar, Dr. Sonia Qasba journeys through the epidemiology, risk and treatment recommendations of diabetic patients with LTBI. She also discusses how diabetes potentiates TB and why TB predisposes one to hyperglycemia.
Type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for the development of active TB. In this webinar, Dr. Blanca I. Restrepo will describe the epidemiological landscape of TB and diabetes, with contrasting observations between adults and the elderly. Most notably, the elderly have a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes, yet this is not associated with higher odds of TB in this population. Finally, she will discuss the challenges for latent TB infection testing in the elderly.
Patients experiencing renal disease (CKD), hemodialysis and kidney transplantation all face an increased risk of progression from TB infection to TB disease. In this webinar, Dr. Onn Min Kon, lead of TB Service at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, explores the interaction between kidney disease and TB. He highlights current US and European guidelines for TB screening as well as the presentations and treatment of active TB.
TB remains a real danger to nursing home residents and staff, but many LTC providers are still under-testing, using hundred-year-old testing tools and bogging down staff onboarding with an outdated approach. During this webinar, Dr. Deb Burdsall will explain how pervasive TB is and how adopting new strategies can save providers time and — potentially — money.
As the world urgently rebuilds disrupted core health services for TB, can we draw on the innovations that evolved during COVID-19 to eliminate TB? Join Dr. Wendy Thanassi as she discusses the impact of COVID-19 from a US and global perspective. She will also highlight the unexpected upside that all the world’s attention, money and innovations could bring to the global battle to End TB.
TB infection screening has dropped drastically due to COVID-19. Single visit tests, CD8 detection and automation – are we using all the tools we have to bridge the gap in TB care? In this webinar, Dr. Lei Gao (China) and Dr. Lucia Barcellini (Italy) will bring you perspectives on the future of TB diagnostics from both low- and high-burden TB settings.
Children newly diagnosed with TB often indicate a recent community transmission event. They also carry increased risk of progressing to active TB disease. In this webinar, Dr. Lindsey Cameron investigates the value and efficacy of TB diagnostics in children. She explores the impact of COVID-19 on TB epidemiology, identifies TB risk factors, and compares the performance between the TST and IGRAs as diagnostic aids for these vulnerable patients.
As COVID cases wane, providers must remain vigilant for other common causes of infection. In long-term care, few are more potentially dangerous than TB. Failing to detect a case among residents or new staff could prove deadly. During this webinar, Dr. Jennifer Hanrahan will discuss TB’s pervasiveness and key strategies to find cases and carriers faster.
With international students representing approximately 5% of the total US student population and campuses being highly crowded places with the potential for close contact, the risks of TB are amplified. Join Dr. Anna Harte as she discusses how screening and treating university students for TB helps prevent future disease in the individual and plays a vital role in protecting the health of our community by preventing downstream transmission and infection.
Sharp HealthCare Laboratory switched from manual TB test processing to the LIAISON QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus test. By combining pre-analytic automation and the DiaSorin LIAISON XL, they reduced personnel hands on time by 75%. They also moved to simplified single tube blood collection – improving the test experience for their patients. In this webinar, Aaron Harding, the Director of the Sharp HealthCare Laboratory, will walk you through their transition from manual to automated TB testing.
References:
1. Lewinsohn, et al. (2017) Official American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clinical practice guidelines: diagnosis of tuberculosis in adults and children. Clin. Infect. Dis. 64, 111–115.
QFT-Plus is an in vitro diagnostic aid for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. QFT-Plus is an indirect test for M. tuberculosis infection (including disease) and is intended for use in conjunction with risk assessment, radiography, and other medical and diagnostic evaluations.
For up-to-date licensing information and product-specific disclaimers, see the respective QIAGEN kit instructions for use or user operator manual. QIAGEN instructions for use and user manuals are available at www.qiagen.com or can be requested from QIAGEN Technical Services (or your local distributor).