HISTOPLASMIN AND TUBERCULIN SENSITIVITY IN RELATION TO PULMONARY CALCIFICATIONS AMONG UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN STUDENTS

Abstract

A study of histoplasmin sensitivity among the students at the Univ. of Wisconsin reflects what is known about the geographic distribution of such sensitivity in the U.S. Among the lifetime residents there was 11.5% histoplasmin sensitivity in a predominately male group and 2.6% histoplasmin sensitivity among females. A significant proportion of hilum and pulmonary calcification seen in chest roentgenograms is not associated with tuberculin sensitivity. In this series 66 of 73 such calcifications in tuberculin negative individuals were associated with histoplasmin sensitivity. The incidence of pulmonary calcification of the entire group was 38.3% in the students reacting to histoplasmin only and 9.2% in those who reacted to tuberculin alone. Small pulmonary infiltrates indistinguish-. able roentgenographically from tuberculous lesions may be associated with histoplasmin sensitivity and not tuberculin sensitivity. Roentgenologic finding of calcification or even infiltration suggest that it may be erroneous to assume a diagnosis of tuberculous infection without further proof.