A study of the epidemiology of tuberculosis: Tuberculin skin sensitivity in adults

Abstract

Summaryo(1)A comparison of the Heaf multiple puncture tuberculin test with the 10 T.U. Mantoux test shows that they give similar results.(2)There is a higher level of tuberculin sensitivity in a group of adults living in urban surroundings of the town of Ipswich compared with a group of adults living in rural areas and small county towns in East Suffolk.This difference is probably due to the varying chance and incidence of infection with bovine and human tubercle bacilli.(3)Evidence is presented to show that a low rate of tuberculous infection from human sources is associated with a much reduced incidence of disease in the young adult but a relatively increased incidence continues into late adult life because a larger number of susceptibles remain at risk over a longer period of time.(4)It is suggested that a community tuberculin survey would give much-needed information on the epidemiology of tuberculous infection and on the acquired immunity to tuberculosis, particularly in relation to the use of BCG. A comparison of the Heaf multiple puncture tuberculin test with the 10 T.U. Mantoux test shows that they give similar results. There is a higher level of tuberculin sensitivity in a group of adults living in urban surroundings of the town of Ipswich compared with a group of adults living in rural areas and small county towns in East Suffolk. This difference is probably due to the varying chance and incidence of infection with bovine and human tubercle bacilli. Evidence is presented to show that a low rate of tuberculous infection from human sources is associated with a much reduced incidence of disease in the young adult but a relatively increased incidence continues into late adult life because a larger number of susceptibles remain at risk over a longer period of time. It is suggested that a community tuberculin survey would give much-needed information on the epidemiology of tuberculous infection and on the acquired immunity to tuberculosis, particularly in relation to the use of BCG.