Anergy testing is no longer recommended routinely. A positive tuberculin skin test result usually indicates that the person has been infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and should receive a clinical evaluation including chest x-ray as soon as possible to exclude active TB disease. Immediate reporting of suspected active cases of TB to the local public health agency is mandatory. Development of active disease is preventable Preventive therapy is effective in reducing the likelihood of active disease in person with HIV infection. Since compliance with such long-term medication may be problematic, consideration could be given to some form of directly observed preventative therapy when possible.
Further details are available from the references listed below.
Some severely immunosuppressed persons with TB infection can have a positive reaction and benefit from tuberculin skin testing. If active TB has been excluded, HIV-infected persons should receive preventive therapy regardless of TST results. Persons with symptoms of active TB need to be evaluated promptly Persons with symptoms of TB need an immediate evaluation, usually consisting of a chest x-ray and sputum cultures. TB usually affects the lungs but can affect almost any part of the body such as the brain, kidneys, bone, and other sites. HIV-infected persons are more likely to have extra pulmonary or atypical pulmonary disease.