Posted: 3/30/2003 6:03:00 PM EDT
| I had the first of two TB tests Friday as the last step before starting my new career as a custody officer. It will be evaluated tomorrow but I am concerned. I have some redness and irritation in the area of the shot. Anyone know if this is normal or had a similar reaction that turned out negative? |
| Isnt there a second test to confirm the first. I always tested positive as my grandfather died from TB and I was exposed to him prior to him dying. Every test I got in school, the "prick" test, came out positive. In the second test they would shoot something under my skin till it formed a little bubble and I had to wait again. This one always came out negitive. They never made me have an x-ray. But then again, this was years ago. |
| I do know a little about this, don't panic, have further tests done, as once you start the treatment, you are committed and it sucks. A lot of false positives are reported with TB tests. Be through before you decide anything. Most of the asswipes in prison / corrections setting are positive for TB, but not carriers. |
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Quoted: It was positive. They gave me seven chest x-rays and all show as normal. I guess I was exposed to someone with TB in the past. I wonder how this will set with Corrections? I don't think it will matter. You were exposed to TB in the past, and developed anti-bodies for the TB. That is what the skin test is detecting. The chest X-rays, which can be used to detect the actual TB effects in your lungs, show normal. So you don't have TB, just anti-bodies. Not a big deal, more and more people are showing anti-bodies. Not a big deal. |
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Quoted: Isnt there a second test to confirm the first. I always tested positive as my grandfather died from TB and I was exposed to him prior to him dying. Every test I got in school, the "prick" test, came out positive. In the second test they would shoot something under my skin till it formed a little bubble and I had to wait again. . . I don't know much about this, but it sounds like it's been awhile since you've been tested, AK103K. I think that the "bubble" raising in-the-skin test has become the standard, and that the pricking Tine test is out. IMHO |
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Posted by Oly-M4gery: You were exposed to TB in the past, and developed anti-bodies for the TB. That is what the skin test is detecting. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! The TB test you had is a DCH (delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity) test that is used in the initial evaluation of CELL_MEDIATED immunity to Mycobacterial antigens. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A HUMORAL IMMUNE RESPONSE (antibodies) to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (the bacterial organism that causes tubercolosis). The DCH test is NOT a test for the detection of measurement of antibodies!! The fact that your test was interpreted as positive means (1) that you have a fucntionally intact cell-mediated immune system (T-cells and macrophages) - this is good - and, (2) that you have been exposed to or infected with another microorganism containing antigens which are cross-reactive with those found in M. tuberculosis (e.g., another Mycobacterium species ... you don't have leprosy, do you?!). Antibodies to TB have little to do with protecting a person from infection with this pathogen, nor does their detection have any diagnostic or prognostic value. The TB test is administered as a preliminary screening test. If the results are negative, this usually indicates that you don't have TB. If the results are positive (as in your case), it means that a further clinical assessment is indicated (hence, chest pictures) to discover whether you have had, or currently harbor, an active M. tuberculosis infection. In your case, you seem to have been given a clean bill of health ... and the fact that you have a positive reaction to PPD (the antigen used in the tuberculin test in this country) means that you possess a slightly more robust immunity to being infected with TB than most people. |