Many types of precipitin test for tuberculosis based on the use of tuberculin and various extracts have been developed by previous investigators. In general these tests have been unsatisfactory because of their lack of specificity. In 1929 Doan' reported a precipitin test for tuberculosis in which the phosphatide fraction isolated from the tubercle bacillus by Anderson2 was used. His results in...

The diagnosis of tuberculosis in children is difficult because of the paucibacillary nature of infection. Uniform diagnostic criteria have not been generally accepted and the currently available guidelines differ widely. A simple, reliable and rapid diagnostic test for the diagnosis of active tuberculosis has still to be evolved. So the diagnosis of tuberculosis still depends on the conventiona...

Introduction I. Epidemiology II. Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis III. Pathogenesis of Tuberculosis IV. Clinical Manifestations of Tuberculosis A. Systemic Effects of Tuberculosis B. Pulmonary Tuberculosis C. Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis V. Diagnostic Microbiology A. Laboratory Services for Mycobacterial Diseases B. Collection of Specimens for Demonstration of Tubercle Bacilli C. Trans...

Objective: to evaluate the policy of TST testing in Suriname. As there is no gold standard diagnose latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), tuberculin skin test (TST) used LTBI. However, internationally, cut-off values are not uniform and depend on local (TB) epidemiology guidelines for test initiation. In Suriname, where currently several indications exist TSTs, cut-off values set at 5 mm o...

BACKGROUND Screening and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) prior to anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) therapy has been shown to decrease the incidence of active tuberculosis (TB) by more than 80%, and is recommended by the British Thoracic Society. In the absence of a gold standard test for LTBI, conventional screening currently involves taking a clinical histor...

Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine (BCG) vaccination is used routinely in most of countries, especially developing one. The efficacy of the BCG vaccination generally decreases with time. The tuberculin skin test (TST) is a most popular diagnostic test for suspicion of tuberculosis (TB) in children till now, but it has many false positives. The interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) is more specific...

Tuberculosis is still one of the major global public health threats. Countries with low incidence must focus on exhausting the reservoir of future cases by preventing reactivation. Therefore, it is important to identify and effectively treat those individuals who have latent tuberculosis infection and who may develop active disease. The tuberculin skin test has been the standard for detection o...