[Active-evolutive pulmonary tuberculosis with negative tuberculin reaction]

In a lot of 452 patients with various forms of tuberculosis, in various locations, the authors have investigated the efficiency of tests currently employed in detecting tuberculin sensitivity (intradermoreaction to PPD, the test to sensitines and the Ustvedt test), in relation with several immunologic tests performed in vitro (index of lymphoblastogenesis to PPD and/or phytohaemagglutinin, leucocyte migration inhibition test, and the rosette test). It was noted that the two groups of investigations give similar results when tuberculin reactions are positive and intense. Under the conventionally admitted threshold of tuberculinic allergy the test of blastic transformation of lymphocytes, and especially the leucocyte migration inhibition tests are still positive and may be considered as a valuable means for measuring infra-tuberculinic allergy, as well as for the diagnosis of latent tuberculous infections.