How Do You Spell AUTOTUBERCULIN?

1. Autotuberculin is a term used in medical and immunological contexts to describe a special extract or antigen derived from an individual's own tissue, usually the tuberculous focus in their body, for diagnostic purposes. It is prepared by injecting an emulsion of the patient's own tuberculous material under their skin, allowing their immune system to react and form an immune response. After a certain period, the resulting immune response is measured and quantified, usually by observing the size of the resulting skin reaction, which provides valuable information about the individual's ability to mount an immune response against tuberculosis.

   Autotuberculin is primarily used in tuberculin skin tests (also known as Mantoux tests or purified protein derivative (PPD) tests) to diagnose tuberculosis infection or assess the immune status of tuberculosis patients. In this test, a small amount of autotuberculin extract is injected into the inner forearm, and the resulting skin reaction is measured after a certain period, usually 48-72 hours. The presence and size of the reaction can indicate various levels of tuberculosis infection or immune response.

   The use of autotuberculin in tuberculin tests has been essential in diagnosing and monitoring tuberculosis infections, especially in areas where the disease is prevalent. By assessing an individual's immune response to their own tuberculous material, healthcare professionals can gather valuable information in order to make informed decisions regarding treatment and prevention strategies.

2. Tuberculin prepared from cultures made from the patient's own sputum.

   A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.

Common Misspellings for AUTOTUBERCULIN

The word "autotuberculin" is derived from a combination of two roots: "auto-" and "tuberculin".

1. "Auto-" comes from the Greek word "autos", meaning "self" or "one's own". In scientific terminology, "auto-" is commonly used to indicate self or self-contained.

2. "Tuberculin" refers to a protein substance derived from the bacterial agent that causes tuberculosis, known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It was primarily used for diagnostic purposes in detecting a person's immune response to the disease.

Thus, "autotuberculin" can be understood as a substance derived from an individual's own tuberculosis agent or one's self-produced tuberculin.

Plural form of AUTOTUBERCULIN is AUTOTUBERCULINS