Texas Tech University

TB Questions

Q. What is TB and its risk factors?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by germs spread from person to person through the air. TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys or the spine. A person with TB can die if they do not get treatment.

Q. How do you test for TB? Is a blood test necessary?

If you are a foreign-born student or a student who has lived outside the United States for more than two months, Texas Tech policy requires you be screened for TB. Many students born outside the United States have received a BCG vaccine. This may cause a false positive reading on a PPD "skin test." Student Health Services uses the QFT "blood test" to screen students who have received BCG.

Q. What does it mean if my TB test comes back positive?

This simply means that somewhere, sometime, you were exposed to someone with TB. Further testing will be required.

Student Health Services