title: Zinc cream and reliability of tuberculosis skin testing.
abstract: In 50 healthy Peruvian shantytown residents, zinc cream applied to tuberculosis skin-test sites caused a 32% increase in induration compared with placebo cream. Persons with lower plasma zinc had smaller skin-test reactions and greater augmentation with zinc cream. Zinc deficiency caused false-negative skin-test results, and topical zinc supplementation augmented antimycobacterial immune responses enough to improve diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: V Bhargavi
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Tom F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Pelly
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Gilman
authors.forename: Lilia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.forename: Giselle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.forename: Jon S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Friedland
authors.forename: A Roderick
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Escombe
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: Carlton A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010568:Peru; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects*; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D014374:Tuberculin Test / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements; D015032:Zinc