Purified Protein Derivative (PPD): Sensitivity and Specificity

>=10mm threshold for induration

specificity in Japanese adults with a high rate of bCG vaccination. Note that non-TB mycobacterium (e.g. avium) also causes false positives: in US health care workers, in one study 50% of indurations 10-14mm were from M avium (PMID 11769770).

Some centers use a 'booster' or serial PPD strategy whereby a second PPD is placed 1-4 weeks after the first. The idea is to generate a stronger immune reaction in the second test, given that the reaction may be blunted if the initial TB exposure was long ago. This has not been evaluated for specificity.