Apparently a LOT of people require TB testing for work or job applications. Here is what I’ve found:
There are 3 ways to test for TB: Skin test (risky injection of ‘science juice’), blood test (could be ‘expensive’), chest x-ray (consider cumulative radiation exposure but could be best option). Both skin test and blood test can sometimes give a false positive which would then require x-rays anyway. A chiropractor can do x-rays – perhaps a cheaper option and a wholistic chiropractor may be more aware of limiting radiation exposure.
The consensus is for QuantiFERON TB Gold blood test which only requires a blood draw. Pricing will vary with your location. Phone around to a few different labs and ask the price. You don’t need a doctor to order it. There is another test – see below.
Chest X-rays are accepted by most employers and are generally valid proof of no TB for two years.
More on the Skin & Blood tests with links
Skin Test:
There are two versions, Tubersol and Aplisol, both containing purified protein derivative, polysorbate 80 and phenol. Also, worth noting that the CDC has announced nationwide shortages of the purified protein derivative used in making these products. Could it mean TB testing and concern has increased exponentially?
Nationwide Shortage of Tuberculin Skin Test Antigens: CDC Recommendations for Patient Care and Public Health Practice, Weekly / June 21, 2019 / 68(24);552–553, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6824a4.htm
TUBERSOL contains: Purified protein derivative of M. tuberculosis 5 TU per 0.1 mL, Polysorbate 80 0.0006%, Phenol 0.22% to 0.35% w/v, in sterile isotonic phosphate buffered saline.
https://www.fda.gov/media/74866/download
These may seem like minute amounts but Polysorbate 80 is used to open the blood brain barrier. Phenol is an extremely toxic chemical. Sometimes small amounts of poison can be extremely detrimental. Some people think the TB test is connected with later development of autoimmune diseases. Any eczema or family skin conditions are a good reason to avoid the skin test. Anyone who wants to preserve a robust innate immune system will want to avoid the skin test.
Blood test: “I order a blood test through Any Lab Test Now and take my results to employee health. Approx $80. Totally worth it.”
Interferon-Gamma Release Assays (IGRAs) are whole-blood tests that can aid in diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. They do not help differentiate latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) from tuberculosis disease. Two IGRAs that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are commercially available in the U.S. and are acceptable alternatives “can be used in place of (but not in addition to) TST in all situations in which CDC recommends TST as an aid in diagnosing M. tuberculosis infection, with preferences and special considerations…” https://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/testing/igra.htm
- QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube test (QFT-GIT);
- T-SPOT®.TB test (T-Spot)
The blood test “may be expensive” and may require you to pay out of pocket.
There is also a screening questionnaire for health care workers to help assess risk of infection. There is another set of diagnostic questions to help determine if there could be an underlying active TB infection. These were a little harder to find, and I don’t know how acceptable these would be for employment or job applications. I did find an interesting tip, the CDC does not recommend annual TB testing for health care workers! See a lot more information than you desire here.
Becky Hastings, passionate about Jesus, health, family, truth and healing foods. Thankful to have a new son-in-law who asked me about TB tests!
My friend Marcella Piper-Terry posted this on her Facebook page. I’m adding it to the comments to give greater perspective:
The TB test ruined my health. Within three weeks, I was in so much pain I could barely walk. The extremely high inflammation led to multiple diagnoses, including rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic pain and fatigue, and eventually CRPS/RSD.
Here is some good information from Cassandra Dunn… and I second the recommendation for the QuantiFeron Test. It’s definitely worth the cost to pay out of pocket. It’s far safer to have your blood drawn and checked than to have neuro toxic chemicals injected.
————————
Cassandra Dunn wrote:
“I would like to share some information about the TB Skin Test, or PPD aka TST. Nobody is getting an informed consent. As a nurse for over 20 years and a previous CMS (federal arm of healthcare) medical investigator, this is nothing but mass poisoning for profit on a global scale:
“First off, the PPD is an injection. The nicely named “test” is a little misleading. It is an Injection of biologicals and toxins including Tween 80 and Phenol. Both accumulate in the body and cross the blood brain barrier. They are both considered NEURO TOXINS.
“Phenol effects reproductive organs, linked to infertility and also causing low birth weight and increased risk for miscarriage. Phenol was used in the Nazi concentration camps as a means to kill with a simple one gram injection of phenol.
“Tween 80 is another toxin that effects reproductive organs and female cycle. “Injected detergents trespass on an immune process that holds life and death control over cells”.
“The PPD is not a reliable means to diagnose exposure to Tuberculosis. There are false positives and false negatives.
“There are NO long term studies with the PPD, therefore is experimental. No carcinogenic or mutagenic evaluations have been performed, nor have there been any studies regarding effect on fertility. (therefore, with this lack of evaluations, they cannot be held accountable for PPD linked to cancers, infertility or birth defects because they don’t have a study proving this,,, sneaky eh!)
“Years ago I started declining ANY and ALL injections (Vaccines and TB Skin Tests) and also not participating in injecting staff or patients with any PPD or vaccine based on ethical beliefs (no one is getting a true informed consent),, a sort of medical “conscientious objector”. As you can see from the CDC Fact Sheet on TB, they don’t tell you any of the above.
“So you are basically getting injected with toxins and biologicals (and contaminants) for a very unreliable screening / test for an infection that has 3 cases per 100k people (per CDC). The mfg of this test is making a lot of $$$. Approx $10 per test, Sanofi Pasteur makes. Not sure if they are the only mfg of the PPD, but that is a LOT OF MONEY testing people across the globe!
“Ask (rather DEMAND) for the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Test as a alternative to the skin test. This lab test requires a single blood draw.”
#TBtest #PPD #Mantoux
Link to the CDC TB Skin Test Fact Sheet:
https://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/testing/skintesting.htm
Link to the Tubersol product insert:
https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/tuberculin-purified-protein-derivative-tubersol
When I was in paramedic school in 2015, we were required to get TB testing. I was still breastfeeding my 1 year old. Since it was unknown whether the protein is passed in breast milk, I passed this info on to my school and clinical hospitals. I also told them that this was a one trip deal and I’d actually be saving money not using gas going back for a second trip to determine if it was positive or not. They allowed me to do the blood draw, but said it was only good for one year. No prob!! But the health Dept was unfamiliar with the test and had to call around to figure out exactly how to do it and what tubing to use, etc. Then they were questioning me, “Well who told you to get this kind of test, and why can’t you just do the skin test?” Ugh!! Anyway, eventually, got it done, and it was a bit more costly but worth it. Then 1-1/2 year later (still breastfeeding), there was a patient who tested positive for TB in the community where I worked. My employer posted a notice saying we would all be required to get TB skin test. I presented the same information to my employer and offered to pay for the blood test out of pocket to avoid the skin test. The health department (different county) again had to figure out more about this test. Come to find out, the skin test would not have even tested for the strain of TB that the patient had and everyone was required to do a blood draw! A part time job allowed me to use my previous results and when that expired, I just signed a declination form. Just felt good to know my information and to be able to fight! Hopefully someone else can use this info as well!