The latent TB test for student visa
Latent TB screening for BCG-vaccinated students
Before classes begin, the American College Health Associates (ACHA) recommends tuberculosis (TB) testing on foreign-born students with identifiable risk factors for exposure to TB and/or active TB disease.1
Many educational institutions rely on the 100 year old tuberculin skin test (TST) for their TB testing,2 but this requires students to make multiple visits to the student health center – often times leading to missed follow-up and delayed results. In addition, the TST can cross react with the bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine. The BCG vaccine is used in many countries with a high prevalence of TB. The BCG vaccine can lead to cross-reaction and the possibility of false positive results with the TST. A false positive test result can lead to costly x-rays and treatment.2 Are you providing the most accurate TB test for your students?
A moment of truth
Every TB test result is a ‘moment of truth’. A positive test result gives a signal to start treatment that may protect both the student and the wider community from a deadly risk. A negative test result may spare the student exposure to powerful antibiotics – and for some will be the green light to enroll in college and start classes.
The T-SPOT.TB advantage
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Effective in challenging patient populations3
- BCG-vaccinated
- Immunocompromised
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Only TB test with sensitivity and specificity > 95%3
- Sensitivity: 95.6%
- Specificity: 97.1%
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Standard phlebotomy and no on-site incubation or refrigeration3