What should Mantoux be?

Every year every healthy child, starting with12 months of age, are examined for tuberculosis by an immunoassay, called the Mantoux Reaction. This method allows you to determine whether there is a tuberculous infection in the body of a child.

During the examination, the child is injected with tuberculin,and in the area of its introduction a special swelling of the skin layer is formed, as they say, "button". This reaction of the body is called Mantoux Reaction. Let's see what Mantoux should be, as evidenced by the results of the survey, and how not to influence them independently.

How to handle "button"

So, the child was vaccinated with Mantoux. Before its results the doctor will estimate:

Do not lubricate the button with peroxide or greens,
Do not allow contact with water and other liquids,
do not glue with adhesive plaster, because under it sweat forms,
Do not let the child comb it.

What should Mantoux vaccine be?

Mantoux done. Already on day 2-3, there is a tightening of the skin at the site of tuberculin. The seal looks like a small round reddened eminence above the skin. Size Mantoux speaks about the number of immune cells in the human body, "aware" of the tubercle bacillus. The more such cells, the greater the Mantoux reaction. But the result is reliable only after 72 hours from the moment of vaccination, it is at this time that she is examined by the doctor.

What size should Mantoux be?

The results are estimated only by the size of the compaction, the redness around the button is not taken into account. It is recorded if there are no papules. Mantoux is measured by a transparent ruler and nothing else!

Mantoux test:

Negative if the seal size is 0-1 mm, that is, there is no condensation or there is only a knock-off reaction.
Doubtful if the button has a size of 2-4 mm, as well as in the absence of a seal with redness of any size.
Positive if the compaction is expressed, and itsdiameter is 5 and more mm. In addition, a slightly positive reaction is isolated: 5-9 mm; medium intensity reaction: 10-14 mm; expressed Mantoux: 15-16 mm.
Very pronounced with a diameter of 17 and more mm.

What to do if the result is positive

So, you know what Mantoux's reaction should be: negative! But what if, in the child, the button gave a positive result ...

First of all, know, the positive Mantoux reactiondoes not always indicate the presence of tuberculosis. There is a stick in the child's body, but such children are not infectious! Sticks are not transmitted with blood. Infection comes from people suffering from tuberculosis, airborne droplets. That is, the child is infected, but not sick and does not infect, as usually immunity suppresses mycobacteria. There is a wand, but there is no disease. Children can go to school, but they should be strictly observed by phthisiatricians. But if a diagnosis of tuberculosis is made, the child must be given serious treatment.

With a high sample of tuberculin, the TBchest X-ray, microbiological examination of sputum, and also the whole family is examined. If infection is not detected, a positive Mantoux reaction can be assessed as an allergic reaction to tuberculin.