Zinc cream and reliability of tuberculosis skin testing.
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.
Rao
V Bhargavi
VB
Imperial College London, London, UK.
Pelly
Tom F
TF
Gilman
Robert H
RH
Cabrera
Lilia
L
Delgado
Jose
J
Soto
Giselle
G
Friedland
Jon S
JS
Escombe
A Roderick
AR
Black
Robert E
RE
Evans
Carlton A
CA
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*
D014131:Trace Elements; D015032:Zinc