A NEW APPROACH IN DISPENSING TUBERCULIN PPD AND IN PERFORMING A MULTI-PUNCTURE TUBERCULIN TEST.

A simple and low-cost kit for single-dose tuberculin testing is described. For those who perform occasional tuberculin tests only, this kit is proposed as a substitute for the Heaf apparatus used in carrying out a multi-puncture test. No difference in the tuberculin skin reactions could be observed when the needle multi-puncture test was compared with the Heaf test in BCG-sensitized guinea pigs and in 12 volunteers. A comparative study on 37 student nurses, using the needle multi-puncture method and the intracutaneous method (Mantoux test), showed that with the needle multi-puncture method more positive reactors were detected than with the Mantoux test using 1:2000 dilution of OT. However, more positive reactors were obtained with the Mantoux test using 1:100 dilution of OT. It is felt that the singledose kit can be a valuable asset when only few skin tests are performed.