Who should get tested for TB?
You should get tested for TB if you have any of the following risk factors: You have spent time with a person who has, or is suspected to have, active TB disease. You have HIV infection or another condition that puts you at high risk for active TB disease. You think you might have active TB disease. You are from a place where active TB disease is very common (Latin America, Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Russia). You live or spend time in homeless shelters, migrant farm camps, prison or jail, and some nursing homes. You inject illegal drugs. If you have any of the risk factors and have not been tested for TB, contact your doctor or the TB Clinic at (702) 759-1369.
Only persons with risk factors (see above) for TB should get the TB skin test. How Is TB Infection (LTBI) Detected? The Mantoux Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) detects TB infection. The TST is given as an injection. A health care worker administers the TB skin test on the person’s arm. Within 48-72 hours (2-3 days) after the test, the health care worker checks the tested area of the arm for a reaction. The health care worker measures the size of the TB skin test reaction in millimeters. This skin test reaction is typically a raised, hard, swelling-like area on the arm where the injection was given. The skin test outcome (positive or negative) depends the size of the skin test reaction and the person’s risk factors for TB. A positive reaction usually indicates TB infection (LTBI). What Happens If a TB Skin Test is Positive? If a person’s TB Skin Test is positive, the doctor or nurse may prescribe other tests. These tests check if the TB infection is in the lungs. These tests include a chest
Only individuals with the above risk factors for TB should be tested. What is the TB testing procedure? For an individual identified as having possibly been exposed to tuberculosis, a simple skin test is administered. A health care worker administers the TB skin test on the arm of the individual. Within 48 to 72 hours after the test, the health care worker checks the tested area of the arm for a reaction. The health care worker measures the size of the TB skin test reaction in millimeters. A reaction usually appears as a raised, hard, swollen area where the injection was given. The skin test outcome depends on the size of the skin test reaction and the individual’s risk factors for TB. What happens if a person has a positive TB skin test? If a person’s TB skin test is positive, the physician or nurse may prescribe other tests, such as a chest x-ray. These tests determine if the TB infection is in the lungs. In some cases, TB can occur outside the lungs; therefore, other specimen sample
