Tuberculin Skin Test among 1,424 Healthy Employees in Chaharmahal Province, Iran

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is still an important problem in developing countries. The tuberculin skin test (TST) is used for the identification of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection. This study aimed to evaluate the TST results of healthy employees of different departments in chaharmahal province, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was done on 1,424 healthy employees from 49 different departments in Chaharmahal Province. The tuberculin skin test was done with Purified Protein Derivative (PPD) solution. The induration was evaluated 48-72 hours later. RESULTS: Negative PPD test was observed in 346 subjects. A 5-10 mm induration was seen in 276, a 10-15 mm in 292, a 15-20 mm in 212, a 20-25 mm in 72, and a 25-30 mm induration was observed in 14 cases. A total of 212 subjects were absent when reading the induration. CONCLUSION: Tuberculin skin test can be used for the identification of TB infection. Prevalence of latent TB infection was low in our study. There were no significant differences in PPD test results between medical and non-medical departments.