Tuberculin Skin Tests: Why It Is Done

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Why It Is Done

A tuberculin skin test is done to find people with tuberculosis (TB), including:

• People who have been in close contact with someone known to have TB.
• Health care workers who are likely to be exposed to TB.
• People with TB symptoms, such as an ongoing cough, night sweats, and weight loss for no reason.
• People who have had an abnormal chest X-ray.
• People who have had a recent organ transplant or with impaired immune systems, such as those with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

A tuberculin skin test should not be done for people who have a:

• Known TB infection.
• Positive tuberculin skin test in the past. A second test may cause a more severe reaction to the TB antigens.
• Skin rash that would make it hard to read the skin test.

Last updated:	May 18, 2007
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Alfred A. Lardizabal, MD - Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine/Tuberculosis
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer