Tuberculin Syringes
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Tuberculin syringes are devices used to measure and deliver a specific amount of liquid through a needle. They are used for subcutaneous or intradermal injections of medicines, vaccines, or other substances.
What Is a Tuberculin Syringe?
Tuberculin syringes are graduated, hold up to 1 mL/cc of liquid, are sterile and latex-free, and may have varying needle sizes, including attached short, fine-gauge needles or a Luer lock or slip needle hub.
Why Is It Called a Tuberculin Syringe?
Tuberculin syringes are commonly used for tuberculosis testing or “tb tests.” Tuberculin, a purified protein derivative, is a glycerol extract of the tubercle bacillus used for tuberculin (PPD) skin tests.
A standard dose of tuberculin is injected between the layers of the skin. This method, also called the Mantoux technique, is typically performed on the inner forearm and creates a bubble of liquid that is eventually absorbed by the body.
Persons exposed to tuberculosis bacteria or with past tuberculosis infections should exhibit an immune response to the injected bacterial proteins, a classic example of delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction (DTH) hypersensitivities.
Local inflammation is produced by T cells and myeloid cells attracted to the site of the reaction. After 48 to 72 hours, an area of induration more than five to ten millimeters in diameter is considered a positive result.