TB not completely curable?

[c87]

My wife took 6 months of meds for at least what started as latent pulmonary tb (rifampin, pyrazinamide, isoniazid, ethambutol). We seemed to get a mix of opinions on whether it was latent or active. Her last tests, done about a month before completing meds, were xrays (vast improvement) and sputum (negative). In a follow-up a few months later, doc asked if she’s been coughing or showed any other symptoms (no), did a brief physical check, didn’t request new tests and said ppd and quantiferon tests will always be positive and xrays would always show evidence of healing. Wanted to cross-check with other experts that there’s no need to get new tests done and that certain tests for tb will always be positive although condition is supposedly effectively resolved? Why have other sources seemed to say treatment should not be stopped until tb is 100% cured; does it not apply in all cases? And in the hopefully unlikely case that we’d want to test for tb resurgence, given that ppd and quantiferon will always be positive, would the relevant tests be xray/sputum?

[Sara_MHModerator]

Hello and welcome to MedHelp's forums.  Thank you for your question and we hope your wife is feeling much better. Working with your own doctors on this is essential.  Different doctors will make different recommendations and if you do not trust the current medical team working with your wife, it is important enough to get a second opinion.  If she indeed has latent TB, then she would likely always have a positive test result from a skin or blood test but show no symptoms. Latent TB means it will be there but not symptomatic. This could be what your doctor is referring to.  Here is some information to help. https://www.webmd.com/lung/tests-tuberculosis#1.  Any time you are unsure of something, please do continue to ask your health care providers until you are satisfied.  Let us know how your wife is doing.  And she IS asymptomatic now?

[c87]

She is asymptomatic. I just thought TB wasn’t considered cured until totally ridden rather than simply reverted to a latent state, and that latent TB could also be cured, but I guess I was wrong.