a sensitivity of 90% for TST and only of 81% for the QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay.

A study at Stanford University confirmed that addition of immune boosters can make the IGRA more reliable in terms of separating positive from negative individuals. A study from the University of Southampton shows that variations in environmental temperatures can have a profound effect on the performance of IGRA. A recently published study from the same group also provided evidence that immunosuppressive agents significantly impair the performance of IGRAs, raising concerns about their reliability in immunosuppressed patients.
Although, IGRA replaced the TST in most of the clinical settings but the variability is a concern while reading the result

Tuberculosis detection using trained rats
The international nonprofit organization APOPO has been working with Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzaniaare plentiful..." (p.34.)

Conclusion:

The article concludes:

"The march of progress will soon permit us to search the sky more quickly and with better sensitivity, than ever before. Our situation is akin to that of Christopher Columbus as he sailed past the breakwater of Palos De La Frontera in August 1492 and headed into the rolling swells of the Atlantic. It's still very early days, and the great excitement lies before us." (p.34.)

I found this an excllent layperson's review article of the state of SETI today.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Its a glorious time in Adelaide at the moment. On Saturday I went to Semaphore beach to watch the Adelaide kite flying festival. There were hundreds of people on the beach flying all kinds of kites (there was even a UFO kite!) It