LATENT TUBERCULOSIS INFECTION IN INDIVIDUALS WITH HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS INFECTION: Comparison of tuberculin skin test to the anti TB-IgM antibodies

Objective: to determine latent tuberculosis infection (ltbi) prevalence and compare tst results to the anti tb-igm anti bodies (atia) for the diagnosis of ltbi in hiv infected individuals. methodology: sixty two randomized sampled hiv infected subjects from an addict treatment center in ahvaz southwest iran underwent tst, using 5 tu of purified protein derivative, and measuring atia. data were analyzed in spss (version 16, usa). results: of 62 participants, 34 (54.8%) had positive result for tst, whereas 6(9.7%) had positive atia. overall concordance between tst and atia was 45.2% (kappa= 0.37, p = 0.32). in subjects with positive test results by either tst or atia, only 4.8% had positive test results by both tests. discordant results were found in 54.8% of subjects. positive results for both tests in subjects categorized in two groups (above and below 200 cd4-cell/mm3) had no significant difference (p>0.05). conclusion: ltbi prevalence among hiv infected individuals in studied area is higher than other parts of the world. tst is a useful test for ltbi diagnosis and prefer to atia. concordance between tst and atia is low.