COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE TUBERCULIN PATCH TEST AND THE MANTOUX INTRACUTANEOUS TEST

Abstract

In our first communication¹we demonstrated that from the point of view of reliability our tuberculin patch test is at least equal, if not superior, to the Pirquet test. Routinely the testing of larger groups is done not with the Pirquet but with the Mantoux test. The solution used is a 1:1,000 dilution, of which 0.1 cc. is injected. As the amount of tuberculin is greater than the amount absorbed when the Pirquet test is applied, the larger number of positive reactors can readily be understood. Dr. Béla Schick has frequently pointed out that the one disadvantage of using the Mantoux test (0.1 mg.) routinely lies in the fact that often intensive local reactions and a rise in body temperature are observed—symptoms which should certainly be avoided. It was therefore thought desirable to have a test which would approximate the reliability of the Mantoux test (0.1 mg.) and