THE PATTERN OF TUBERCULIN ALLERGY AFTER B.C.G. VACCINATION

Kim, Taek Iim; Lee, Young Ju; Lee, Sung Kwan

doi:1964.0.18.15

Tuberc Respir Dis > Issue 18; 1964 > Article

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 1964;18:15-21.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1964.18.1.15 Published online December 1, 1964.

THE PATTERN OF TUBERCULIN ALLERGY AFTER B.C.G. VACCINATION

Taek Iim Kim, Young Ju Lee, Sung Kwan Lee

Kyungpuk clinic, Korean T.B. association

Abstract

The tuberculin reaction after B.C.G. vaccination revealed weaker than that of natural infection and it decreases gradually with the elapse of time and disappears after four or five years. But, as a matter of fact, the positive rate of tuberculin reaction at four or five years after B.C.G. vaccination was estimated to 50 percent. This suggests that the reinfection has been taken place to those lost tuberculin allergy after B.C.G. vaccination. Following results were obtained after comparing the pattern of tuberculin reactions between those B.C.G. vaccinated and those naturally infected. 1. The stronger reactions were observed in the naturally acquired positive reactors than those B.C.G. vaccinated. Of those positive reactors in the B.C.G. vaccinated, it was noted that erythema in 50-70%, palpable induration in 20-50%, double erythema in 5-35%, and vesicle and necrosis in 2-10% whereas, 2-10%, 40-60%, 10-40%, and 5-25% respectively among the naturally acquired positive reactors. 2. There was a close relationship between the frequency of B.C.G. inoculation and the sizes of reaction after reinfection, that is, the more the frequent inoculation the weaker the reaction of tuberculin allergy.