Immunoregulation of the tuberculin skin test in HIV-infection

Aims: Anergy to the tuberculin-skin-test (TST) is a hallmark of individuals with advanced HIV-infection. We investigated the immunoregulation of the TST in HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative individuals. Material and Methods: At 48 to 72 hours following the intradermal injection of tuberculin, TST reaction sites and negative controls (normal saline) were sampled from 15 HIV+ and 22 HIV- individuals of a population with a high tuberculosis incidence of >1000/100000 from Kayelitsha, Cape Town, Rep. South Africa, with a 4-mm punch cylinder and were snap frozen in ice-cold isopentane. On frozen tissue, 5- to 7µm…