Anergy Testing and Tuberculin Skin Testing

Tuberculin Skin Testing in Children

In 1996, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended targeted tuberculin skin testing (TST) of children while discouraging routine TST of children without risk factors for tuberculosis (TB). Recent studies have provided evidence in support of the targeted TST and recommendations that favor risk assessment over universal screening with TST. While evidence for targeted TB testing exists ...

The Booster Phenomenon of Tuberculin Skin Testing in Patients Receiving Hemo-dialysis

Background: The risk of developing tuberculosis is high among chronic hemodialysis patients. The tuberculin skin test (TST) has been in use for diagnosing latent TB, but few data are available on TST in hemodialysis patients. Objective: This study was done to identify the TST reactivity and frequency of booster effect in serial TST among hemodialysis patients. Methods: A total of 100 patients i...

Tuberculosis skin testing, anergy and protein malnutrition in Peru.

SETTING Malnutrition and intestinal parasites cause immunosuppression. This may cause false-negative tuberculin skin tests (TST) and failure to identify tuberculosis (TB) infection. OBJECTIVE To assess factors associated with TST positivity and anergy in disadvantaged communities in Peru. DESIGN A study of 212 randomly selected adults: 102 in a rural Amazonian village and 110 shanty town re...

Anergy Testing for Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of death WORLDWIDE from a single infectious pathogen. Despite the fact that the majority of TB cases are in developing countries, this disease is also a problem in industrialized nations, such as the United States. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infects approximately 15 million people in this country, although it causes disease in many fewer. Even thoug...

Tuberculin skin testing in the era of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.