alternatives to Mantoux test for TB screening?

[grumpybear]

Basically the title above says it all.

Besides the xray, any other alternatives for TB screening?

[sunnygir1]

I worked as an interpreter for our county health department.  They did a lot of TB skin tests.  They would sometimes take a blood sample and send it to the state for a test they called TB Gold, I think.  They said the blood test was more accurate than the skin test, and they sometimes chose to do it before the chest x-ray.  HTH.

[Marnica]

Yes to above - it is called the Quantiferon Gold test. It is far more accurate than the skin test, but it is expensive and only certain places do the testing.

http://www.quantiferon.com/contacts_usca.php