Tuberculin Testing for Persons with Positive Serologic Studies for HTLV-III

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Abstract
To the Editor: Persons who are seropositive for HTLV-III are at high risk for the development of T-cell immunosuppression of varying degrees of severity,1 and those who are concurrently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (i.e., those with positive tuberculin skin tests) may therefore also be at high risk for contracting and then transmitting tuberculosis. In the setting of a rapidly spreading AIDS epidemic, preventive therapy with isoniazid in persons seropositive for HTLV-III and with a positive tuberculin skin test could be of major public health importance. Such chemoprophylaxis is likely to be effective, since tuberculosis responds very well to standard treatment . . .