Tuberculin reaction in children treated with isoniazid
K. H. Hsu
This study involved 370 children infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Follow-up tests, three to nine years after a course of isoniazid treatment,
showed that the tuberculin reactions remained strongly positive, although
some fluctuation in size was observed. The persistence of tuberculin
hypersensitivity in these patients was considered an asset, as delayed-type
hypersensitivity and cell-mediated immunity are related closely, according
to recent studies on antituberculosis immunology. With the risk of
endogenous disease removed by isoniazid treatment, the patients gained a
bonus of cell-mediated immunity to protect them from future exogenous
reinfection.
