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Medical Author:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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In this Article

• What is the tuberculosis skin test?
• How is the tuberculosis skin test administered?
• What is the method of reading the tuberculosis skin test?
• How are skin test results interpreted?
• Are there any risks from having the PPD skin test?
• Tuberculosis Skin Test At A Glance
• Patient Comments: Tuberculosis Skin Test - Symptoms
• Tuberculosis Skin Test (PPD Skin Test) Index

How is the tuberculosis skin test administered?

The standard recommended tuberculin test, known as the Mantoux test, is administered by injecting a 0.1 mL volume containing 5 TU (tuberculin units) PPD into the top layers of skin (intradermally, immediately under the surface of the skin) of the forearm. The use of a skin area that is free of abnormalities and away from veins is recommended. The injection is typically made using a ¼- to ½-inch, 27-gauge needle and a tuberculin syringe. The tuberculin PPD is injected just beneath the surface of the skin. A discrete, pale elevation of the skin (a wheal) 6 mm-10 mm in diameter should be produced when the injection is done correctly. This wheal or "bleb" is generally quickly absorbed. If it is recognized that the first test was improperly administered, another test can be given at once, selecting a site several centimeters away from the original injection.

What is the method of reading the tuberculosis skin test?

"Reading" the skin test means detecting a raised, thickened local area of skin reaction, referred to as induration. Induration is the key item to detect, not redness or bruising. Skin tests should be read 48-72 hours after the injection when the size of the induration is maximal. Tests read after 72 hours tend to underestimate the size of the induration.

How are skin test results interpreted?

The basis of the reading of the skin test is the presence or absence and the amount of induration (localized swelling). The diameter of the induration should be measured transversely (for example, perpendicular) to the long axis of the forearm and recorded in millimeters. The area of induration (palpable, raised, hardened area) around the site of injection is the reaction to tuberculin. It is important to note that redness is not measured.

A tuberculin reaction is classified as positive based on the diameter of the induration in conjunction with certain patient-specific risk factors. In a healthy person whose immune system is normal, induration greater than or equal to 15 mm is considered a positive skin test. If blisters are present (vesiculation), the test is also considered positive. In a person with underlying kidney disease, diabetes, or a health-care worker or personal contact of someone with active TB, 10 mm of induration is considered a positive skin test. In patients who are immunocompromised, such as people with rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn's disease, 5 mm of induration is considered a positive skin test result. Induration of less than 2 mm, without blistering, is considered a negative skin test.

On the other hand, a negative test does not always mean that a person is free of tuberculosis. People who have been infected with TB may not have a positive skin test (known as a false negative result) if their immune function is compromised by chronic medical conditions, cancer chemotherapy, or AIDS. Additionally, 10%-25% of people with newly diagnosed tuberculosis of the lungs will also have a negative result, possibly due to poor immune function, poor nutrition, accompanying viral infection, or steroid therapy. Over 50% of patients with widespread, disseminated TB (spread throughout the body, known as miliary TB) will also have a negative TB test.

A person who received a BCG vaccine (administered in some countries but not the U.S.) against tuberculosis may also have a positive skin reaction to the TB test, although this is not always the case. This is an example of a false positive result. The positive reaction that is due to the vaccine may persist for years. Those who were vaccinated after the first year of life or who had more than one dose of the vaccine have the greatest likelihood of having a persistent positive result than those who were vaccinated as infants.