Booster Reactions in Tuberculosis Testing
Author Information
Author(s): Cristiane G Salles, Antonio Ruffino-Netto, Jose R Lapa-e-Silva, Afranio L Kritski, Michelle Cailleaux-Cesar, Fernanda C Queiroz-Mello, Marcus B Conde
Primary Institution: Instituto de Doencas do Torax/Hospital Universitario Clementino Fraga Filho – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Hypothesis
What is the prevalence of boosted tuberculin skin tests among contacts of individuals with active pulmonary tuberculosis?
Conclusion
The low number of contacts with boosting suggests that the two-step TST strategy may not be useful.
Supporting Evidence
- 54% of contacts had an initial negative TST.
- 6% of those who had a second TST showed boosting.
- None of the contacts with boosting developed TB disease within two years.
Takeaway
The study looked at how many people tested positive for tuberculosis after a second test, but not many did, so the testing method might not be very helpful.
Methodology
Retrospective cohort study of TB contacts evaluated with two-step tuberculin skin tests and chest X-rays.
Limitations
The small number of subjects followed limits the conclusions that can be drawn.
Participant Demographics
Contacts of culture positive TB cases, mean age 42.3 years for those with boosting.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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