PPD skin testing and tuberculosis screening

Choose and confirm a location

Use the selected clinic’s confirmed address and contact details. Before travel, name the specific service and ask about age eligibility, visit type and any required test or procedure. The general clinic hours do not establish every service’s schedule. Bring relevant records and confirm the result or follow-up route. Testing is usually targeted to people with increased risk or a specific requirement. Tell the clinician about prior positive tests, TB treatment, BCG vaccination and recent vaccines. Children need an age-appropriate choice. An IGRA blood test may be preferred for people with BCG vaccination and certain other situations.

PPD skin testing and tuberculosis screening

The PPD or Mantoux skin test checks the body's immune response to tuberculosis bacteria. It can be used for an exposure assessment or a school or workplace requirement. The test requires both placement and a reading visit. Confirm that you can return within the required window before placement.

How pPD skin testing and tuberculosis screening works

Tuberculin is placed just under the skin of the forearm. A trained health professional measures firm swelling, called induration, 48 to 72 hours later. Redness alone is not the measurement. A photograph or self-reading cannot replace a professional reading.

Eligibility: PPD skin testing and tuberculosis screening

Testing is usually targeted to people with increased risk or a specific requirement. Tell the clinician about prior positive tests, TB treatment, BCG vaccination and recent vaccines. Children need an age-appropriate choice. An IGRA blood test may be preferred for people with BCG vaccination and certain other situations.

What to expect: PPD skin testing and tuberculosis screening

Bring the requesting organization's rules, including whether it requires one-step or two-step testing. The team reviews your history and places the test if appropriate. At the reading visit, it records the measurement and interprets it using your risk factors. If you miss the window, contact the clinic to arrange the next valid testing step.

Preparing for your appointment

Bring previous results and TB treatment records. Ask about the timing of live-virus vaccines and a planned test. Keep the exact placement time and reading appointment. Do not repeatedly test a documented prior positive without clinical review.

Risks and when to seek help

A positive skin test does not by itself mean active or contagious TB. A negative test does not exclude TB disease in someone with symptoms. Persistent cough, fever, night sweats or weight loss needs clinical evaluation. Tell the clinic before arrival if TB is suspected so it can arrange appropriate precautions.

Follow-up and treatment review

A positive result needs evaluation for TB disease, usually including history, examination and chest imaging, with sputum testing when indicated. If disease is excluded, latent infection and treatment can be discussed. Ask how the evaluation and final documentation will be completed.

Appointments, costs and coverage

Confirm placement and reading hours at the selected clinic, including weekends and holidays. A walk-in placement cannot compress the 48-to-72-hour reading interval. Ask whether both visits and any further evaluation are included in the quoted price.

Medical sources

• CDC: TB blood tests
• MedlinePlus: Understanding lab results
• USPSTF A and B recommendations
• CDC TB testing and diagnosis
• CDC: Tuberculin skin test guidance