Tuberculosis infection in the indigenous elderly White UK population: a study of IGRAs [Correspondence]

Recent data from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the United Kingdom indicate a further rise in the incidence of tuberculosis (TB), and that about 15% of newly diagnosed TB cases occur in those aged greater than or equal to 65 years. super(1) Within the indigenous White population in the United Kingdom, it is the elderly among whom TB is principally an issue. super(2, 3) The specificity of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) for detecting latent tuberculosis is good, and seems unaffected by bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination status. super(4) However, its application to detect TB infection across various ethnic groups in the United Kingdom has not yet been reported. In addition, to further quantify TB infection in the white UK population, this study also looked at IGRA positivity in the elderly.