Tuberculous recombinant allergen as a part of preventive examination for tuberculosis among patients of 24-hour social service institutions

The objective of the study: To assess the efficacy of comprehensive examination using the skin test with tuberculous recombinant allergen in standard dilution (TRA) and fluorography with the mobile X-ray unit in the patients living in social service institutions for a long period of time.Subjects and methods: 624 persons living in social service institutions were examined, of them 438 walking patients had fluorography tests by the mobile X-ray unit and a skin test with TRA. 186 immobile and partially mobile patients had sputum microscopy and the skin test with TRA. Results. It was found out that sputum microscopy for acid-fast mycobacteria was uninformative for early detection of tuberculosis in immobile and partially mobile patients of social service institutions and it should be used simultaneously with TRA test. Immunodiagnostics in the patients of these institutions allowed identifying risk groups facing high risk to develop active tuberculosis in 6.6% of cases and prescribing them with preventive treatment in a timely manner.