Ireland currently obtains its avian and bovine tuberculin purified protein derivatives (PPDs) from a single source. Because problems of supply or quality cannot be discounted, it is prudent that Ireland identify alternative supplier(s) as part of a broad risk management strategy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the performance of a number of different tuberculin combinations (th...

BACKGROUND Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the leading causes of death among infectious diseases worldwide. Despite its low incidence rates in countries of Western Europe and North America, the resurgence of TB in Eastern Europe and the increased immigration from high-incidence countries imply that extreme vigilance is required in order to detect early, treat, and isolate all new cases. In thi...

Introduction: The definitive diagnosis features can be demonstrated or mycobacteria can be isolated from the body fluids or from sputum or from gastric lavage. Various other methods, such as polymerase chain reaction are also available. It is wel and culture is difficult and time consuming and other tests are complex and technically more demanding. In this study, we correlated the results of Qu...

BACKGROUND The utility of two-step tuberculin skin testing among adolescents in high tuberculosis prevalence settings is not well established. OBJECTIVES To determine the proportion and determinants of a 0-4 mm response to an initial standard tuberculin skin test (TST) and evaluating 'boosting' with repeat testing. METHODS Adolescents between 11 and 18 years attending schools/colleges under...

SETTING A rural population in Tiruvallur district, south India. OBJECTIVE To study the variability of skin test reaction sizes between 48 and 72 hours. METHODS A tuberculin test survey was conducted among children aged less than 10 years. The reaction sizes were read by the same reader at 48 hours and 72 hours independently. The results of the tuberculin test were compared. RESULTS Of 957...