Question

A jumbo jet finally takes off from the airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Lance relaxes in his business-class seat. The next stop, 16 hours later, will be Atlanta, Georgia. Lance has just spent six weeks interning with a South African law firm that specializes in human rights issues. His work took himto clients living in crowded conditions in several poor townships. Now Lance’s thoughts turn to the upcoming fall term, when he will practically live in a study carrel, law books his constant companions. The deep coughing of a woman sitting beside him interrupts his reverie. He glances at her; she is thin and huddles against the armrest, looking pale and tired. She often rubs her chest as if it hurts. When the flight attendant offers the woman something to eat and drink, she turns everything down. Her loud incessant coughing continues for the entire flight, interrupting Lance’s sleep. Four weeks later, Lance opens a letter from the state department of health and learns that he may have breathed in a potentially deadly bacterium on that flight from south Africa. The letter advises Lance to have a physician administer a skin test to determine if he has been infected, but it also tells him that he must wait eight more weeks before being tested.

a. What bacterium was Lance exposed to on the flight?

b. Why does he need to wait so long before being tested?

c. What is the name of the skin test? If the skin test is positive, what will be the physician’s recommendation to confirm the test?

Answer 1

Answer: Tuberculosis (TB), Tuberculin skin tests (TST).

Explanation: He needs to wait so long before getting tested, because it can take several weeks after infection for your immune system to react to the TB skin test. The skin test is Tuberculin skin tests (TST). If the skin test is positive, the physician's recommendation to confirm the test would be to administer a blood TB test and determine if you should receive treatment and with what type of medication.