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Table 2 Sensitivities and specificities of Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) and tuberculin skin test (TST) in the present meta-analysis.

From: Systematic review and meta-analysis on the utility of Interferon-gamma release assays for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis finfection in children: a 2013 update

  

TST

QFN-G-IT

T-SPOT.TB

Sensitivity

Low income countries

0.67 (95%CI 0.64-0.70); Chi-square = 261.59; df = 15 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 94.3%

0.57 (95%CI 0.52-0.61); Chi-square = 51.04; df = 10 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 80.4%

0.61 (95%CI 0.57-0.65); Chi-square = 71.42; df = 4 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 94.4%

 

High income countries

0.78 (95%CI 0.74-0.82); Chi-square = 69.96; df = 17 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 79.3%

0.79 (95%CI 0.75-0.82); Chi-square = 77.27; df = 19 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I2) = 75.4%

0.67 (95%CI 0.62-0.73); Chi-square = 44.79; df = 8 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 82.1%

 

Including only studies using the three assays simoultaneously

0.85 (95%CI 0.78-0.91); Chi-square = 26.01; df = 5 (p =0.0001)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 80.8%

0.78 (95%CI 0.70-0.84); Chi-square = 16.85; df = 5 (p =0.0048)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 70.3%

0.76 (95%CI 0.68-0.83); Chi-square = 24.94; df = 6 (p =0.0001)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 80.0%

 

Including microbiologically confirmed cases (overall)

0.79 (95%CI 0.75-0.83); Chi-square = 41.56; df = 16 (p =0.0005)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 61.5%

0.81 (95%CI 0.76-0.85); Chi-square = 45.51; df = 15 (p =0.0001)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 67.0%

0.80 (95%CI 0.73-0.86); Chi-square = 27.31; df = 8 (p =0.0006)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 70.7%

 

Including microbiologically confirmed cases, in low income countries

0.74 (95%CI 0.68-0.80); Chi-square = 20.28; df = 6 (p =0.0025)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 70.4%

0.66 (95%CI 0.55-0.76); Chi-square = 6.19; df = 4 (p =0.1857)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 35.3% - excluding studies with immunocompromised children: 0.68 (95%IC 0.57-0.79); Chi-square = 3.18; df = 3 (p =0.3644)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 5.7%

0.80 (95%CI 0.59-0.90); Chi-square = 17.35; df = 4 (p =0.0017)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 76.9%

 

Including microbiologically confirmed cases, in high income countries

0.86 (0.79-0.91); Chi-square = 14.06; df = 9 (p =0.1203)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 36.0%

0.86 (0.81-0.90); Chi-square = 25.78; df = 10 (p =0.0040)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 61.2%

0.79 (0.69-0.87); Chi-square = 9.90; df = 3 (p =0.0194)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 69.7%

 

Immunocompromised/HIV infected children

0.54 (95%IC 0.49-0.59); Chi-square = 71.45; df = 3 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 95.8%

0.47 (95%CI 0.38-0.55); Chi-square = 37.77; df = 2 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 94.7%

Not evaluable

Specificity

Low income countries

0.90 (95%IC 0.87-0.92); Chi-square = 38.57; df = 7 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 81.9%

0.85 (95%CI 0.82-0.88); Chi-square = 19.15; df = 5 (p =0.0018)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 73.9%

0.93 (95%CI 0.87-0.96); Chi-square = 7.75; df = 2 (p =0.0207)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 74.2%

 

High income countries

0.92 (95%CI 0.89-0.93); Chi-square = 125.84; df = 10 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 92.8%

0.97 (95%CI 0.96-0.98); Chi-square = 38.83; df = 10 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 74.2%

0.98 (95%CI 0.96-0.99); Chi-square = 12.98; df = 5 (p =0.0235)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 61.5%

 

Including only studies using the three assays simoultaneously (all in high income countries)

0.84 (95%CI 0.79-0.89); Chi-square = 74.74; df = 4 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 94.6%

0.97 (95% CI 0.93-0.99); Chi-square = 6.05; df = 3 (p =0.1093)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 50.4%

0.97 (95%CI 0.93-0.99); Chi-square = 8.47; df = 3 (p =0.0373)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 64.6%

 

Immunocompromised/HIV infected children

0.97 (0.92-0.99); Chi-square = 0.95; df = 1 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 0.0% Chi-square = 0.95; df = 1 (p =0.0000)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 0.0%

0.90 (95%CI 0.81-0.95); Chi-square = 0.00; df = 1 (p =0.9695)

Inconsistency (I-square)= 0.0% - only 2 studies could be included -

Not evaluable