2.3.1.4. Tests for TB infection

As in adults, TST and IGRA should not be used to screen for TB disease in children (26, 27), as these tests cannot distinguish TB infection from TB disease and cannot predict who will progress to TB disease. Both tests provide a marker of TB infection but may be influenced by mechanisms unrelated to TB infection and give false-negative or false-positive results. The role of these tests in decisionmaking for TPT and in the diagnostic evaluation of children with presumptive TB is discussed in
Chapters 3 and 4 (15, 28).

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