There are a number of different tests for detecting TB. Apart from this, there are a few other tests meant to detect if a person has a type of TB bacteria that are vulnerable to TB drug action. In case the bacteria are found to be susceptible to the treatment, it usually implies that the treatment would work. In order to determine if the TB is drug-resistant or not, a type of test is available in Pathology labs in Uttarpara, known as the “drug susceptibility test”.

  • The TB skin test:

    This test is a commonly used test meant for diagnosing TB. In countries where the rates of TB are low, this skin test is often used for detecting latent TB infection. During the skin test, a tiny amount of fluid (known as tuberculin) is injected into the skin at the lower region of the arm. After taking this injection, the person is required to return to the center after 48 to 72 hours, where the arm would be detected by a trained pathologist. The person would search for a swelling or a hard area in your arm, and in case it is present, its size will be measured. It will usually not include any redness.

  • Chest X-ray as a TB test:

    In case of the existence of TB bacteria, inflammation will be caused in the lungs. If a chest X-ray is conducted in a pathology test center in uttarpara, one can view an abnormal shadow in the chest area. Acute pulmonary TB is known to be easily visible in X-ray. However, the results are not very specific.

  • Serological tests:

    Serological tests for tuberculosis are a type of test carried out on a sample of blood. According to pathologists in diagnostic centers in uttarpara, these tests are capable of diagnosing TB by identifying antibodies present in the blood. However, detecting TB by simply inspecting blood sample is not easy. As a result, these serological TB tests also referred to as serodiagnostic tests, are often found to produce unreliable and inaccurate results. A warning had been issued by the World Health Organisation against the use of these tests for the purpose of diagnosing active tuberculosis. Some countries have even gone to the extent of banning these tests altogether.

  • TB Molecular tests:

    Although certain new tests like Genexpert and TrueNat are available for diagnosing TB, these are too expensive and hence not very popularly used.