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QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD Provides Greater Specificity Than Previous Tests
VALENCIA, Calif., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published new M. tuberculosis (TB)
detection guidelines, advising that QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD, a simple, one-step
blood test, can be used in all circumstances under which the traditional
tuberculin skin test (TST) is currently used. The new guidelines, which note
that QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD offers the possibility of detecting TB with
greater specificity than has been possible previously, come just days after
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD
for reimbursement starting Jan. 1, 2006.
"QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD represents a breakthrough in TB diagnosis and
control and offers several important advantages, including the fact that it is
more accurate than the TST and only requires one visit," said David DeBiasi
RN, Director of Community Health and Tuberculosis Services for the American
Lung Association of Virginia. "New diagnostics such as QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD
are the key to the future success of eliminating TB, which continues to ravage
the globe, causing nearly 2 million deaths a year."
The guidelines, published in the CDCs Dec. 16 Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report, affirm that QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD can be administered in place
of the 100-year-old TST, which despite widespread use can be unreliable
because of false-positive and false-negative results. Typical, and often
mandatory, TB tests include contact investigations, evaluation of recent
immigrants, and infection control surveillance programs, such as yearly
testing for health care workers. Details of the CDCs recommendations on how
to use QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/.
"One of the greatest problems in combating this disease has been the
reliance on an antiquated detection method," said Dr. Tony Radford, Managing
Director of Cellestis Inc., the maker of QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD. "These
guidelines represent a significant advancement in the detection and potential
elimination of TB in the United States."
QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD is also able to detect latent or non-symptomatic TB
in individuals while eliminating candidates who have had BCG vaccinations for
TB, a common cause for false-positive readings with the TST. The blood test
is highly specific because it measures immune responses to peptides that
simulate M. tuberculosis proteins not present in the BCG vaccine. Thus, a
positive QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD test result is a strong predictor of TB
infection, eliminating subjective interpretations of test results.
As a blood test, QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD eliminates the need for patients
to visit their doctor a second time so that the results can be read.
Currently, as many as 30 percent of people tested with the TST do not return
for the required second screening, during which a medical professional
examines a patients skin for reactions, a possible indicator of TB infection.
About Cellestis and QuantiFERON Technology
Cellestis Ltd is a public company trading on the Australian Stock Exchange
(ASX: CST) with major subsidiaries Cellestis Inc. in California; and Cellestis
GmbH in Germany. QuantiFERON(R) technology was developed by Australian
researchers for the detection of TB infection in cattle. Cellestis has
improved QuantiFERON(R) technology to make QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD, which
eliminates known causes of false-positive responses by using synthetic
versions of TB proteins (peptides) selected for their specificity and capacity
to detect TB immune responses. QuantiFERON(R)-TB GOLD is sold and used in
more than 30 countries.
Media Contacts:
Nanette Pietroforte/Julie Johnson
FischerHealth
310-577-7870 ext: 161/154
npietroforte@fischerhealth.com
jjohnson@fischerhealth.com
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