Comment on ‘How useful is chest X-ray in addition to routine QuantiFERON® in the detection of latent tuberculosis prior to biologics?’

This study reviewed 200 dermatology patients on biologics in Ireland, assessing the value of chest X-rays (CXRs) in addition to QuantiFERON/interferon-gamma-releasing assay (IGRA) for detecting latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The majority (97.5%) had negative IGRA results, with only two showing TB-like findings on CXR. No patients with positive IGRA had CXR signs of TB, and none began LTBI treatment based solely on CXR findings. Echoing Kearney et al.’s (Clin Exp Dermatol 2024; 49:1691–2) results, the study supports using IGRA alone for LTBI screening in low-risk patients, suggesting that routine CXR may be unnecessary and advocating for updated guidelines to reflect this.