Diaskintest is the latest proven drug aimed at early diagnosis of tuberculosis. Many people think that it replaces the long-known Mantoux test, but this is not entirely true.

Today, Diaskintest is more often an additional measure for more accurate confirmation of the diagnosis, although it can also be used as an independent method.

Features of use and contraindications

Diaskintest is a solution for intradermal administration only. Contains in its composition synthetic proteins similar to those of the main one - mycobacteria (MBT). All foreign proteins introduced into the human body are considered immune system like an allergen. This is what the use of Diaskintest is designed for. At the same time, an allergic reaction is evaluated, which is more pronounced in people with tuberculosis.

Diaskintest is a modern development, in the application of which the risk of side effects is minimal, and assistance in diagnosis is maximum. The phthisiatrician before his appointment must take into account the indications and contraindications for the introduction of this drug.

Indications for injection of Diaskintest are:


Contraindications to the introduction of Diaskintest can be absolute and relative. In the second case, the doctor evaluates the expected risks and benefits of the test. If you ignore any of them, a lot of adverse reactions can occur that can significantly worsen the patient's health.

Absolute contraindications are:

  • any acute infectious and inflammatory disease in a patient;
  • cold;
  • skin diseases, especially in the acute stage;
  • history of epileptic seizures;
  • active allergic reaction (rhinitis, conjunctivitis, pruritus of food or any other origin);
  • exacerbation of any chronic diseases of the lungs, stomach, intestines, kidneys;
  • preventive vaccinations (including repeated or primary administration of BCG) during the previous month;
  • for young children - a period of active growth of teeth, especially accompanied by a temperature reaction;
  • quarantine period, especially in mass gatherings of people (kindergartens, schools);
  • children's age up to 1 year.


Pregnancy and lactation are considered relative. The presence of such a large list of contraindications significantly limits the appointment of this drug for mass planned diagnosis of tuberculosis infection. Often it is prescribed in conjunction with the Mantoux test.

If the doctor adequately assesses the situation in each case, taking into account the available indications and contraindications, then the risk of developing adverse reactions is minimal.

Negative reactions of the body

This drug is administered by specially trained personnel. The area for injection, carried out with a small syringe (insulin), is the inner surface of the middle third of the forearm. As already mentioned, the drug is administered only intradermally. With this injection route, the development of adverse reactions is minimal, which is associated with a small intake of the drug into the bloodstream. However, no one is immune from undesirable consequences.

Types of side effects

With the introduction of Diaskintest side effects do not occur frequently.

They can be divided into two groups:

  1. Associated with the body's response to the administered drug.
  2. Occurring with the wrong technique for conducting a sample by medical personnel.

The first group includes:

  • a slight increase in temperature;
  • development of malaise;
  • allergic reactions.

If an allergy develops, you may experience:

  • severe redness of the injection site, spreading to the entire forearm;
  • the formation of an abscess where the injection was made;
  • skin rash all over the body, thicker where the drug was injected;
  • runny nose, sneezing;
  • irritation, the injection site may itch;
  • labored breathing.


All this can occur with individual intolerance and allergies to one of the constituent components of the drug. The skin rash itches and itches, which causes a lot of inconvenience to a person. Hyperemia can spread to the entire arm, accompanied by the formation of blisters with a clear liquid.

If any of the above symptoms occur, seek medical attention as soon as possible. The doctor will prescribe the necessary treatment, which necessarily includes anti-allergic medications. The results of the test are not evaluated.

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Due to a violation of the Diaskintest injection technique, the development of side effects is reduced to:

  • hematoma at the injection site;
  • "bump" on the skin after injection.


A "bump" is a bulge where the drug was injected. It can occur due to the introduction of air along with the medicine and is called subcutaneous emphysema. She may not scratch. Doesn't do any harm. Rapidly absorbed within 1-2 days.

A bruise at the injection site may occur as a result of damage to the blood vessel with a needle, rough injection of the drug using a low-quality syringe. This condition does not affect the evaluation of the result and does not require medical intervention. It goes away on its own within a few days.

How to prevent the development of adverse reactions

If the patient is scheduled for such a procedure, the doctor can give certain recommendations to better prepare for it. This is especially important for people who are prone to allergic reactions and have concomitant pathologies of internal organs.

Before the test, doctors may prescribe:



The delivery of a general blood and urine test is also desirable before the injection. In this case, some latent forms of diseases can be detected, which can be aggravated by the introduction of Diaskintest.

It should be noted that the above measures help not only to prevent the development of adverse reactions, but also reduce the possibility of a questionable result when evaluating a sample associated with the individual characteristics of the organism. Only a doctor can prescribe these measures, taking into account their actual need.

It is important to know: slight hyperemia and induration at the injection site of Diaskintest are not side effects of the test! These are the main indicators for evaluating the result on the 3rd day after the injection.

Diaskintest is a fairly safe method that helps to improve the mass diagnosis of tuberculosis. All of these side effects are extremely rare and, as a rule, develop as a result of ignoring contraindications. Therefore, the doctor must first comprehensively assess the patient's condition before prescribing the administration of the drug.

Pharmacology is moving forward by leaps and bounds - something newer appears all the time. So, in contrast to the controversial one, a new, no less controversial drug has come Diaskintest, which is proposed as a new method for diagnosing tuberculosis by injecting a special solution.

According to the instructions, one dose (0.1 ml) of the drug contains: recombinant (genetically modified) CFP10-ESAT6 protein (0.2 μg), phenol (0.25 mg) as a preservative (the protein preparation cannot be stored without it), polysorbate 80 (tween 80) as a stabilizer, sodium phosphate disubstituted 2-water, sodium chloride, potassium phosphate monosubstituted, water for injection - up to 0.1 ml.

As you can see, the drug contains two genetically engineered antigens - CFP10 and ESAT6. It is these antigens that are present in virulent strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, including M.tuberculosis and M.bovis. But these antigens are absent in strains of M. bovis, from which tuberculosis vaccines are prepared - and BCG. That's all the difference from .

According to its manufacturers, Diaskintest shows a positive result only if people are infected with tuberculosis and negative in non-sick and recovered patients, as you know, it too often shows an erroneous result. However, in medicine there is not a single test with 100% specificity and sensitivity. Diaskintest is also not perfect. It's just more specific as it doesn't respond to vaccination. However, there are strains to which it will also not respond - atypical mycobacteria. It happens that a person is in deep immunosuppression - with HIV infection, with malignant tumors - then there will also be a false negative Diaskintest reaction.

There are several advantages of Diaskintest over the Mantoux test:

  • the accuracy of the result and the ability to distinguish between tuberculosis infection of a vaccinated person and a person infected with non-pathogenic mycobacteria;
  • high sensitivity;
  • helps to understand the effectiveness of treatment, the result is negative in people who have recovered from tuberculosis.

    • There are contraindications to Diaskintest:

    1. chronic and acute infectious diseases with high fever;
    2. acute phase of diseases of internal organs;
    3. severe allergies;
    4. epilepsy;
    5. quarantine for childhood infections;
    6. less than a month has passed since any preventive vaccinations.

    Headache, fever and slight malaise may occur after the injection. This drug is used only by doctors!

    A serious pathology of our time is tuberculosis. The disease can prevail in a latent form for a long time, and when the immune system is weakened or exposed to another pathogenic factor, it reminds of itself with an acute course of an abnormal process. To determine the diagnosis, it is recommended to use Diaskintest.

    What is Diaskintest

    Compared with the Mantoux reaction, this medical tester is a relatively new development of modern scientists. This is not a vaccine, but a test sample, which is able to diagnose the latent form of tuberculosis with maximum accuracy. Mantoux and Diaskintest, in fact, have the same purpose, but in the latter case, a positive test means an absolute indication for a course of chemotherapy against tuberculosis. When the phrase Diaskintest sounded - that this is far from known to all patients, many are accustomed to hearing about Mantoux's hyperergic reaction.

    How Diaskintest is made

    The basis of the innovative tool is protein allergens, which the doctor subcutaneously injects the patient to determine the patient's reaction to such foreign bodies. If in chemical composition similar substances are already present in the blood, which means that tuberculosis is characterized by a latent form, and the clinical patient becomes a carrier of a tubercle bacillus. It is possible that the disease produces in the active stage, requires the immediate initiation of intensive care. If the answer is negative, therapeutic and recreational measures are not required.

    The patient knows in which hand Diaskintest is given, since this is a vaccination similar to Mantoux. In fact, the hand does not matter, but the mandatory area is the forearm area in order to reduce discomfort for the patient during the procedure. Doctors recommend choosing the hand that is less involved in everyday life, where there is only a slight load (for the vast majority of cases, this is the left forearm). Otherwise, the sequence of actions is well known to every nurse.

    Diaskintest results

    All patients are not interested in the process of performing the test, but in the result. This is especially true for people from the so-called risk group, in whom the Mantoux reaction is always pathologically increased. For those who are not aware of what Diaskintest shows, it is worth clarifying: this modern subcutaneous test determines the presence or absence of a tubercle bacillus in the blood. A positive answer is fatal and requires immediate medical attention and treatment. A negative testifies to the impeccable health of a person in terms of the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

    Diaskintest positive

    If this modern Diaskintest tuberculosis test is performed, the patient can only wait for the results, observe changes in the condition of the skin. If on the same day or a day later an obvious redness appears with the further formation of a papule, this is a clear sign of an inflammatory process, although in fact the answer may be a false positive.

    The reaction to Diaskintest for adults and children grows for three days, after which it will no longer be possible to accurately determine the presence of the pathological process. It is required to contact a phthisiatrician in a timely manner, who knows exactly what a positive d-test should look like. Also useful information can be found in the instructions for the specified drug.

    False positive Diaskintest

    If there is hyperemia of the skin at the site of the direct injection, doctors do not exclude that the reaction to Diaskintest is false positive. This is reassuring, since in fact there may not be a tubercle bacillus in the blood. To investigate such a clinical picture, the patient is sent to a tuberculosis dispensary, where they are put on a dispensary record. In the future, it is recommended to conduct a series of clinical and laboratory studies, and after 2 months, re-run the Diaskintest test and get a reliable result.

    Diaskintest negative

    Before panicking and worrying about your health, it is recommended to find out from the doctor what Diaskintest should be normal. Perfect option- this is a colorless seal with a diameter of 1 mm, a barely noticeable injection mark or a small bruise. Redness, which will be very itchy and accompanied by the formation of a papule of impressive size, certainly should not appear in the forearm.


    When Diaskintest for tuberculosis is contraindicated

    Such a test is a modern development of scientists, leaving far behind the obsolete Mantoux reaction. However, not all patients are allowed to conduct this test, since the instruction contains contraindications for Diaskintest and potential side effects. So, the vaccine cannot check for the presence of tubercle bacillus in the following categories of patients, it is not recommended for such clinical pictures:

    • diseases of a viral and infectious nature of the stage of relapse;
    • predisposition to an allergic reaction;
    • bronchial asthma, skin diseases;
    • colds, runny nose, fever;
    • systematic alcohol abuse;
    • allergy to tuberculin, other synthetic components of the specified drug.
    • carefully perform the test during pregnancy, but the lactation period relative contraindication is not.

    How to prepare for Diaskintest

    No preparatory measures are required, but before the test, it is necessary to be examined by a therapist for viral and infectious diseases in the relapse stage. It is very important that at least one month has passed since the previous test. There is no need for other preparatory measures; vaccination can be done equally for adults and children. Parents are wondering at what age Diaskintest can be done: the answer is from the age of 1 year with a positive Mantoux test.

    When studying what Diaskintest is and how it is carried out, it is important to remember that this is the most gentle vaccination with the subcutaneous injection of a specific protein to develop the body's immune response. Normally, there is no red spot, with pathology it can reach 8-10 millimeters. The result obtained is not affected by the preliminary intake of sweet and flour, moreover, the sample can be wetted. It is important to avoid getting household chemicals on the injection site, otherwise a stain will appear that will itch for some time. Additionally, it is worth finding out how Diaskintest is done in order to tune in.


    Where to do Diaskintest

    If you contact a tuberculosis dispensary, you can perform a test if you have medical indications and an insurance policy. In addition, the local therapist will also tell you where you can do Diaskintest - an intradermal test for tuberculosis. It makes sense to order a service in a paid clinic, but the final score is no different from the results of public health institutions. It is better to conduct a sample inexpensively and with trusted specialists who exclude the Diaskintest tuberculosis test.

    Price for Diaskintest

    Most patients are interested in the main question: how much does Diaskintest cost? The price can be found in a private clinic from the catalog of services provided. On average, the cost of a vaccination is similar to an HIV test, available to accurately detect mycobacteria. The price of the drug is up to 2,000 rubles per bottle. If you buy in an online store, it will be cheaper, but it is better not to save on your health. Normally, the Diaskintest test is done in the morning on an empty stomach, and the seal appears by the evening.

    If the test gives an erroneous answer, it is necessary to repeat the diagnosis after another 2 months. The price of the procedure will be the same, but the patient receives full confidence in the final diagnosis, which is reported to him by the attending physician. This means that he will know 100% whether a pathogenic infection is present in his body or not. If the answer is yes, the price of treatment goes off scale, it involves the passage of a course of chemotherapy.

    Video: what is the danger of Diaskintest for a child

    Tuberculosis is a disease that is becoming more and more common among the population from year to year. Infection occurs by airborne droplets through contact with a sick person - coughing, sneezing, or even just saying something. Not every infection ends in a disease, it is estimated that about 30% of people are carriers of the tubercle bacillus, which can lie dormant for years. However, when for some reason the body's endurance decreases, the bacteria become active and this process ends with a disease. The weakening of the body's defense forces occurs as a result of irrational nutrition and an unhealthy lifestyle: lack of movement in the fresh air, little sleep, excess stimulants - for example, alcohol, nicotine. Certain groups of people are more susceptible to the disease (old people, people with low physical activity).

    Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria called Koch's rods (mycobacterium tuberculosis). Thanks to a special shell, tubercle bacilli are very resistant to drying and freezing. In a dry environment, eg. sputum that has dried up, the sticks can live for several months. Sunlight and boiling in water will kill them within minutes. In humans, the disease is caused not only by the bacillus of human tuberculosis, but also by the bacillus of cattle tuberculosis. Upon contact with a sick person, tuberculosis bacteria reach the respiratory (mostly lungs), where the disease develops.

    Early diagnosis of tuberculosis is very important. First, when a disease is detected in initial stages the likelihood of a quick and complete recovery is much higher. Secondly, the earlier tuberculosis is detected in a particular person, the fewer people it can infect.

    Not so long ago, scientists developed a new method for diagnosing tuberculosis - Diaskintest.

    What is Diaskintest?

    - This is a drug that makes it possible to confirm the presence or absence of tubercle bacilli in the human body. It is based on a protein consisting of two antigens that are present in virulent strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. As a result of the injection, it is possible to detect pathogens that are in the phase of active reproduction. In this case, the test will be positive. If mycobacteria are in the latent phase in the body, the result will be negative.

    Diaskintest cannot provoke infection with tuberculosis, since it does not contain the causative agents of this disease in its composition.

    In addition to a specific protein, Diaskintest contains phenol, polysorbate 80, water for injection, sodium chloride, potassium phosphate monosubstituted, sodium phosphate disubstituted 2-water.

    Benefits Diaskintest before the Mantoux test are its selectivity, high sensitivity and the ability to monitor the effectiveness of treatment by increasing or decreasing the activity of mycobacteria.

    disadvantage Diaskintest are frequent false-negative results during its implementation, for example, when a person is infected with another causative agent of tuberculosis - M.bovis. Also, a false-negative result can be observed with exacerbated severe forms of tuberculosis at the decay stage.

    How is it made?

    Diaskintest is contraindicated in people with skin and infectious diseases, allergies in the acute stage, epilepsy. When diagnosing in children, it is carried out no earlier than a month from the previous vaccination.

    The test must be carried out by a specially trained medical professional.

    The injection dose (0.1 ml) is administered intradermally with a tuberculin syringe with a thin short needle.

    What do the results mean?

    After the injection of the drug, a papule with a diameter of 8-10 mm is observed in the skin.

    The results are analyzed after 72 hours by the size of the infiltrate and hyperemia.

    Papule (infiltrate)- a seal on the skin that occurs as a reaction to a test in the form of a tubercle.

    Hyperemia– redness, the size of which is taken into account in the results only if the papule does not appear

    With a positive result, an infiltrate (papule) of any size is observed. If the result is negative, there is no infiltrate and hyperemia (a prick reaction of less than two millimeters is allowed).

    The presence of hyperemia without infiltration (in other words, a spot on the skin without thickening and swelling) casts doubt on the test results and requires additional research.


    Diaskintest is not an ideal drug and has its drawbacks, but its role in the early diagnosis of tuberculosis is very important and great.

    Diaskintest is an express method for diagnosing tuberculosis. Diaskintest involves the injection into the skin of the person being examined of a small amount of a special solution that contains proteins that are characteristic only of tuberculosis pathogens. Diaskintest gives a positive result only in the case of people infected with tuberculosis, as well as in people with tuberculosis. Diaskintest gives a negative result in persons not infected and not suffering from tuberculosis, as well as after complete recovery from tuberculosis. The results of the diaskintest also remain negative if a person has immunity after vaccination against tuberculosis (BCG) or if the person being examined is infected with mycobacteria that cannot cause tuberculosis (false positive results of the Mantoux test). Diaskintest is a much more specific and effective method for diagnosing tuberculosis than the Mantoux test.

    What is Diaskintest?

    Diaskintest is new way diagnosis of tuberculosis and conditions of tuberculosis, which is based on the determination of the reaction of the organism of the person being examined to special substances that are found only in microbes that cause tuberculosis. Diaskintest was developed at the Russian Research Institute of the Moscow Medical Academy. THEM. Sechenov and at the moment has undergone clinical trials that have shown its high efficiency.

    What are the advantages of Diaskintest compared to the Mantoux test?

    The currently existing intradermal methods for diagnosing tuberculosis (Mantoux test and Diaskintest) work on the same principle: a small amount of a special solution containing substances that are found in the structure of tuberculosis pathogens is injected into the patient's skin (most often on the forearm). The Mantoux test solution contains tuberculin, a special protein that is found in tuberculosis pathogens, as well as in their “close relatives” bacteria, which are used in BCG vaccination and in non-pathogenic mycobacteria, which are very similar to tuberculosis pathogens, but unlike the latter, they cannot cause disease in humans. The solution for staging Diaskintest contains only synthetic ESAT6 / CFP10 proteins, which are characteristic exclusively for causative agents of tuberculosis. Due to the different composition, the results of Diaskintest and the Mantoux test reveal two different aspects of the state of anti-tuberculosis immunity: a positive result of the Mantoux test means that the body of the person being examined is familiar with tuberculin, which in turn may mean that the person being examined has either been in contact with a tuberculosis infection or has recently received BCG vaccination, or is infected with non-pathogenic mycobacteria that cannot cause disease and therefore do not require any treatment. The last two varieties of the Mantoux test result are called false positives. Unlike the Mantoux test, Diaskintest gives a positive result only if the body of the person being examined is familiar with proteins that can only be found in tuberculosis pathogens. In other words, a positive Diaskintest result indicates with a high degree of accuracy that the person being examined is either currently infected with tuberculosis or is already ill with it. Thus, Diaskintest compared with the Mantoux test:
    • allows you to get an accurate result and distinguish the state of tuberculosis infection from false positive reactions in people vaccinated with BCG and people infected with non-pathogenic mycobacteria
    • has a high sensitivity: all patients infected with tuberculosis and tuberculosis infected persons who may become ill with tuberculosis in the near future give a positive reaction to Diaskintest
    • makes it possible to judge the effectiveness of tuberculosis treatment: in all persons who recovered from tuberculosis, the result of Diaskintest is negative

    Positive Mantoux reaction - what to do?

    In the case of a positive Mantoux test (see Mantoux test - reading the results), it is necessary to find an opportunity to re-examine with Diaskintest in order to exclude false positive Mantoux results and avoid the need for prophylactic treatment.

    Diaskintest technique

    The injection of the drug for carrying out Diaskintest is carried out in exactly the same way as in the Mantoux test: strictly intradermally, in the region of the middle third of the forearm, with a thin needle. Often, Diaskintest and the Mantoux test are performed simultaneously (on different hands), which makes it possible to identify false positive reactions Mantu.

    How are the results of Diaskintest read?

    The results of Diaskintest are read 72 hours after the injection. The doctor evaluates the diameter of the red spot (hyperemia) and indurations (papules) that have formed at the injection site. Diaskintest results can be
    1. negative - in the absence of a red spot or induration at the injection site
    2. doubtful - if there is only a red spot at the injection site or a slight swelling with a diameter of less than 2-4 mm
    3. positive - if there is swelling at the injection site with a diameter of 5 mm or more;
    4. hyperergic: with the formation at the injection site of a seal with a diameter of more than 15 mm or more, as well as in the case of the appearance of bubbles, ulcerations or enlarged lymph nodes in the antecubital fossa or in the armpit at the injection site.
    All persons who have had a dubious, positive or hyperergic reaction of Diaskintest need an additional examination for tuberculosis.

    In what cases it is impossible to carry out Diaskintest?

    Diaskintest should not be performed if

    Can Diaskintest provoke tuberculosis?

    Diaskintest preparations are obtained from genetically modified strains of Escherichia coli, which in no case can cause the development of tuberculosis. Diaskintest is usually very well tolerated, only in rare cases there is a short-term and slight fever, mild headache and malaise.

    Diaskintest and vaccinations

    The interval between Diaskintest and preventive vaccinations (including BCG) should be at least 1 month.