Acta Biochimica Indonesiana
Vol. 8 No. 2 (2025): Acta Biochimica Indonesiana

Detection of latent tuberculosis infection in household contacts of drug-resistant tuberculosis patients using interferon-gamma release assay: a study at Universitas Indonesia Hospital

Indratmo, Muhammad Faris (Unknown)
Handayani, Diah (Unknown)
Kusumaningrum, Ardiana (Unknown)
Iswanti, Febriana Catur (Unknown)
Sadikin, Mohamad (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
02 Dec 2025

Abstract

Background: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) poses significant public health challenges in Indonesia. Household contacts of DR-TB patients face elevated risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, which may remain latent and asymptomatic. Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among household contacts of DR-TB patients using interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Universitas Indonesia Hospital from February to May 2023. Eighteen asymptomatic household contacts from six confirmed DR-TB index cases were enrolled. Participants underwent clinical evaluation, chest radiography, and LTBI screening using the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) assay. Results: Among 18 participants (mean age 33.3 years; 55.6% female), 8 (44.4%) tested positive for LTBI, while 10 (55.6%) tested negative. The highest IGRA positivity rates were observed in adolescents aged 12–16 years (66.7%) and young adults aged 17–25 years (60.0%). All participants were clinically asymptomatic with normal chest radiographs. Conclusion: This study demonstrates substantial LTBI prevalence among household contacts of DR-TB patients. The findings underscore the importance of systematic contact tracing, IGRA-based screening, and timely tuberculosis preventive therapy to reduce disease transmission and progression in high-risk populations.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

actabioina

Publisher

Subject

Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology

Description

Acta Biochimica Indonesiana (ActaBiolna) is a peer-reviewed and open-access journal that disseminates original research articles and review articles covering diverse topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The journal is published biannually by Indonesian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular ...