Positive PPD

[Fancy Face]

15 mm induration, had a CXR, negative findings. So I have to go to Dept. of Health and take another blood TB test and then, if positive, start 9 MONTHS of antibiotic therapy. Had a neg PPD 6 mos. ago! Very stressful. Health dept says these TB bacteria basically lie latent, waiting to strike without warning if you get run-down for any reason and can turn into active TB. Anyone else have this happen to them? MD assures me it happens to nurses, and I was prob. exposed at work or maybe in the community!

[aeauooo]

I honestly don't remember if I was vaccinated against TB as a child.

If you had a BCG immunization you would have a small, very noticable scar. When I was working in Ethiopia we gave BCG over the right deltoid (this helped differentiate the BCG scar from the small pox vaccination scar, which was given over the left deltoid), but I don't think that practice is universal. I think in some countries it is given on the buttock.

BCG is not given to adults, and usually only given to infants. It is currently used only in developing countries with a high prevalence of TB.

As far as I know, BCG has never been routinely used in the U.S., and never been required for emigration to the U.S.

The PPD reactivity to BCG usually wanes, so that PPD positive adults who had recieved BCG as children are treated according to the protocols for adults who have never received BCG.

http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/tbfactsheets/bcg.htm

[epiphany]

If you had a BCG immunization you would have a small, very noticable scar. When I was working in Ethiopia we gave BCG over the right deltoid (this helped differentiate the BCG scar from the small pox vaccination scar, which was given over the left deltoid), but I don't think that practice is universal. I think in some countries it is given on the buttock.

I have a little BCG scar the size of a housefly on my right, and a large nickel sized chicken pox scar on my left - so it was it used quite universally in the africa/asia I suppose. Interesting.

Some one I know from the carribeans have converted back to negative, but I never did. My PPD skin induration was always BIG, more than 2 cm for sure - even after my regimen years ago. I just gave up and now I only take xrays if I have to provide any proof.

I've heard some discussions of skin-testing everyone, even those with proven positives for the purpose of establishing a baseline, but I don't know clinic who actually does that because most PPD's given one time for employment/school purposes and rarely as follow up in primary care.

[Scooter321]

If you had a BCG immunization you would have a small, very noticable scar. When I was working in Ethiopia we gave BCG over the right deltoid (this helped differentiate the BCG scar from the small pox vaccination scar, which was given over the left deltoid), but I don't think that practice is universal. I think in some countries it is given on the buttock.

As far as I know, BCG has never been routinely used in the U.S., and never been required for emigration to the U.S.....

Well, this post and epiphany's certainly seem to rule out a vaccine in my case (I definitely don't have a scar), so I guess my positive result means I was exposed after all. Great information, folks. Thanks.