That Should Be Tested In most U.S. populations, targeted testing for TB is done to find persons with infection and disease who would benefit from treatment. Therefore, all testing activities should be accompanied by a plan for follow-up care of persons with LTBI or disease. Healthcare agencies or other facilities should consult with the local health department before starting a skin-testing program to ensure that adequate provisions are made for the evaluation and treatment of persons whose tuberculin skin tests results are positive. Testing for TB infection should be done in well-defined groups.
Flexibility is needed in defining high-priority groups for testing.
The changing epidemiology of TB indicates that the risk for TB among groups currently considered high priority may decrease over time, and groups currently not identified as being at risk subsequently may be considered as high priority. The preferred method of testing for TB infection in adults and children is the Mantoux tuberculin skin test. In some circumstances, testing for TB disease with chest radiographs or sputum smears may be more appropriate than testing for infection with the tuberculin skin test. Testing for TB infection or disease should always be carried out in consultation with the health department. Pregnant women should be targeted for tuberculin skin testing only if they have a specific risk factor for LTBI or for progression of LTBI to disease.