Flow Cytometric Immune Profiling in Infliximab-Associated Tuberculosis.

Tumor necrosis factor α antagonists are increasingly used to treat inflammatory and autoimmune disorders and are associated with increased risk of active tuberculosis. Diagnosis of active tuberculosis in patients taking tumor necrosis factor α antagonists can be challenging owing to increased incidence of extrapulmonary manifestations and false-negative results on current available diagnostic tests. We present a case of a young woman on infliximab for ulcerative colitis who presented with disseminated tuberculosis. As part of a research study, we performed flow cytometric immune profiling, which has previously not been reported in patients with active tuberculosis taking tumor necrosis α antagonists. The flow cytometry results were within the positive thresholds for tuberculosis infection. Flow cytometric immune profiling may be a valid diagnostic tool for patients taking tumor necrosis factor α antagonists.
Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interests:The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Drs. Escalante and Peikert and their institution have filed two patent applications related to immunodiagnostic laboratory methodologies for latent tuberculosis infection. To date, there has been no income or royalties associated with those filed patent applications. None of the authors have any other conflicts of interest to declare.