Skin test sensitivity and antigen-induced lymphocyte transformation in uraemia

Abstract

Serial tuberculin skin tests with 0·1–100 TU of PPD were performed on 209 patients with chronic renal disease. Skin test reactivity decreased with the severity of uraemia. Lymphocytes from three out of four skin test negative patients showed a high PPD-induced blast response in vitro. Thus, the absence of skin reactivity in uraemia does not always depend on a lack of antigen-sensitive lymphocytes.