JBL EMT Practice Exam

A positive tuberculin skin test most likely indicates that:

1. The disease is dormant in your body, but will probably never cause symptoms

2. You are actively infected with tuberculosis and should be treated immediately

3. You contracted the disease by casual contact instead of exposure to secretions

4. You were exposed to another infected person prior to treating the 34-year-old patient

The correct answer is: The disease is dormant in your body, but will probably never cause symptoms

A positive tuberculin skin test means that your body has been exposed to the bacteria that causes tuberculosis and has developed an immune response to it. This does not necessarily mean that you are actively infected with tuberculosis or that you will develop symptoms. It could also mean that you were exposed to the bacteria at some point in your life but never developed the disease. Option B, actively infected with tuberculosis, is incorrect because a positive skin test does not necessarily indicate active infection. Option C, contracting the disease by casual contact, is incorrect because tuberculosis is typically spread through the air and not through casual contact. Option D, being exposed prior to treating a 34-year-old patient, is incorrect because it is irrelevant to the outcome of the skin test.