Why is a positive PPD skin test not sufficient to determine if a patient has active TB?
A) The skin test does not test for all strains.
B) There are many false positive test results.
C) Only the latent form gives a positive skin test.
D) The positive skin test only indicates previous exposure.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

There are several scenarios in which a patient could have a positive PPD skin test but may not have active TB. The skin test indicates previous exposure, but that exposure could be due to a patient receiving a vaccine, having the latent form, or previously having active TB but not currently having active disease.

Why Is a Positive PPD Skin Test Not Sufficient to Determine