Tests

Most people have been tested for tuberculosis infection at some time—and perhaps many times—for school, work, and the like. These skin tests are part of the public health effort to control TB by detecting it early. Like any disease, diagnosing it early and beginning treatment are the key to success. In the case of TB, it is best to catch the infection while it is latent. If the infection is not detected and treated early, it can turn into active disease, endangering the patient and putting others at risk of infection.

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You should be tested for TB if:
• You think you might have active TB disease.
• You have spent time with a person you know or suspect has active TB disease.
• You are infected with HIV or have another condition that puts you at high risk for active TB disease.
• You are from a country where active TB disease is very common (most countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia and Eastern Europe and Russia).
• You live or work somewhere where active TB disease is more common, such as a homeless shelter, migrant farm camp, prison or jail, or some nursing homes.
• You use illegal intravenous drugs.

Tell your doctor about any contact you have had with people who might have active TB disease and about any activities, such as injecting drugs, that might increase your risk of infection. If you have symptoms, your doctor will want to know when they began.

Part of controlling tuberculosis is the public health effort to restrict its spread. If you have active TB, people you come in contact with will need skin tests and chest X-rays in case you have infected them.

This section has more information on:
• Tuberculin skin test (PPD)
• QuantiFERON-TB® Gold (QFT) blood test
• Chest X-ray
• Chest CT scan
• Sputum test