The Enzyme Linked ImmunoSpot (ELISPOT) is a new rapid T cell based blood test (otherwise known as an interferon-c assay) for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection. The commercially available form of the assay, T-SPOTH TB (Oxford Immunotec, Abingdon, UK) has European regulatory approval as an in vitro diagnostic test and is increasingly being used in clinical practice. The test is based...

Background Tuberculosis is a leading cause of global childhood mortality. However, the epidemiology and burden of tuberculosis in infancy is not well understood. We aimed to investigate tuberculin skin test conversion and tuberculosis in the Drakenstein Child Health study, a South African birth cohort in a community in which tuberculosis incidence is hyperendemic. Methods In this prospective ...

Background: It has been postulated that there is an inverse association between mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and atopy. We aimed to investigate if there is a similar relation in our study group, consisting 252 asthmatic children. Methods: In tuberculin testing indurations greater than or equal to 5 mm were accepted as positive. The most common aeroallergens were used in skin prick testi...

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A prospective, double blind study was conducted to determine the degree of concordance of pen and palpation methods of measuring skin induration to Mantoux tuberculin tests. One hundred thirty-five skin tests were performed in patients with previously bacteriologically proved tuberculous disease. An experienced reader who was only able to see the forearm of the patient measured the induration b...

BACKGROUND Tuberculosis remains a serious disease worldwide. Anti-tuberculosis campaigners many times face negative tuberculin skin tests after Bacille Calmette Guérin vaccination. Increasing tuberculin units might be a solution. However, is skin reaction a linear function of tuberculin dose? Are there any side-effects when higher tuberculin doses are administered? CASE PRESENTATION Six simul...

By December 1993, only five cases of tuberculosis were observed in the 1030 HIV-positive patients in Edinburgh, U.K., although, on the basis of historical tuberculin skin test data, between four and eight new cases of tuberculosis were expected per year. Of 310 HIV-positive patients, none of the 19 (6.1%) who were tuberculin skin test positive had developed tuberculosis after 87 months (average...