

If you are told your TST is positive you may be asked to see a doctor for review. You are not sick but, at some stage in the future, you may develop TB disease. When you are infected with TB bacteria you are not infectious and you cannot pass the bacteria onto other people. It does not mean you have TB disease (active TB). It means that you may have been infected with the TB bacteria. If the lump is above a certain size, the result of the test is positive. A false negative can occur if you are unwell, have a weak immune system, or have had a recent live vaccination. However, if your contact with TB was very recent, you may need to have the test repeated in 8 to 12 weeks. Usually this means that you have not been infected with TB bacteria. If the lump is below a certain size, the result of the test is negative.

Leave the area open: do not cover with any dressing, cream or ointment.Do not scratch or rub the injection site.

How do I take care of the injection site? received any vaccinations in the past month.take any medication, such as steroids, that affects your immune system.have an illness that affects your immune system.have had a viral illness in the last week.It is important that you tell the doctor or nurse if you:

The size of your lump – measured in millimetres – will indicate whether or not you have a latent TB infection. There may also be a small amount of blood at the needle site.Ī small lump may form at the injection site over the next few days and you will need to return to your doctor or nurse 3 days later to have this assessed. in certain circumstances before the BCG vaccination is given.Ī small amount of purified protein – taken from dead TB bacteria – is injected under the top layer of the skin, on the forearm.Ī sterile disposable needle and syringe is used to do this.Ī small blister will appear at the site, which will disappear within 20 minutes.to check if a person has latent TB before they travel to a region where there are high rates of TB.to check if a person has latent TB infection before they start work at a health care facility.to find latent TB in a person who may have been exposed to someone diagnosed with active TB.
#Arm negative tb test skin
It is a skin test to detect if you have been infected with TB bacteria. The Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) is also known as the Mantoux Test. In Australia, both active and latent TB can be treated. This can affect any part of the body but usually affects the lungs. Some people with latent TB will develop TB disease (active TB). Most people infected with TB have no sign of the disease as the bacteria are ‘sleeping’ or dormant. Tuberculosis (TB) is an illness caused by a bacterial infection.
