This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mehta, S. R.
Right arrow Articles by Smith, D. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mehta, S. R.
Right arrow Articles by Smith, D. M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, April 2009, p. 541-543, Vol. 16, No. 4
1071-412X/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.00375-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Differences in Tuberculin Reactivity as Determined in a Veterans Administration Employee Health Screening Program{triangledown}

Sanjay R. Mehta,1* Cathy MacGruder,2 David Looney,1,2 Scott Johns,2 and Davey M. Smith1,2

University of California, Division of Infectious Diseases, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093,1 San Diego Veterans Administration Medical Center, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr., San Diego, California 921612

Received 5 September 2008/ Returned for modification 10 December 2008/ Accepted 9 February 2009

In response to a difference in pricing, the San Diego Veterans Administration Medical Center changed its tuberculin preparation from Tubersol to Aplisol in the fall of 2006. Following the change, an increased number of employee skin test conversions was noted. Employee tuberculin skin test converters from 2006 were screened with the QuantiFERON Gold (QFT-G) gamma interferon release assay. Those employees who tested negative by QFT-G were asked to repeat their skin test with both Tubersol and Aplisol tuberculin preparations. Of the new purified protein derivative converters, 12 of 14 returned for repeat testing with QFT-G, and the assay was negative for 83% (10/12), positive for 8% (1/12), and indeterminate for 8% (1/12) of the individuals. Nine of the individuals who were QFT-G negative agreed to repeat skin testing with both tuberculin preparations, and 7/8 (87.5%) demonstrated reactivity with the Aplisol preparation, while 0/8 (0%) reacted to the Tubersol preparation. A change from Tubersol to Aplisol resulted in elevated tuberculin skin test conversion rates that may be due to false-positive reactions. The differences in skin test reactivity between preparations support CDC guidelines that recommend that institutions should not change tuberculin preparations, as doing so may falsely increase the number of positive reactions.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Stein Clinical Research Building, MC 0711, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093. Phone: (858) 822-4092. Fax: (858) 822-5362. E-mail: srmehta{at}ucsd.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 18 February 2009.

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, April 2009, p. 541-543, Vol. 16, No. 4
1071-412X/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.00375-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»