skin prick test

(noun)

Skin-prick testing is also known as "puncture testing" and "prick testing" because of the series of tiny punctures or pricks made in the patient's skin. Small amounts of suspected allergens or their extracts (pollen, grass, mite proteins, peanut extract, etc.) are introduced to sites on the skin marked with pen or dye.

Related Terms

Examples of skin prick test in the following topics:

  • Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergy

    • For assessing the presence of allergen-specific IgE antibodies, you can use two different methods: a skin prick test or an allergy blood test.
    • Skin testing is also known as "puncture testing" and "prick testing" because of the series of tiny punctures or pricks made in the patient's skin.
    • Interpretation of the results of the skin-prick test is normally done by allergists on a scale of severity, with +/- meaning borderline reactivity and 4+ indicating a severe reaction.
    • Patch testing is used to help ascertain the cause of skin contact allergy (contact dermatitis).
    • Describe how the skin prick test and the allergy blood test work to assess the presence of allergen specific antibodies in an individual

  • Type IV (Delayed Cell-Mediated) Reactions

    • A classic example of delayed type IV hypersensitivity is the Mantoux tuberculin test in which skin induration indicates exposure to tuberculosis.
    • If a person has had a history of a positive tuberculin skin test, or had a recent tuberculin skin test (within one year), another skin test should be used.
    • The Mantoux test (also known as the Mantoux screening test, tuberculin sensitivity test, Pirquet test, or PPD test for purified protein derivative) is a diagnostic tool for tuberculosis.

  • Fungal Skin and Nail Diseases

    • Common fungal skin diseases include athlete's foot, jock itch, and ringworm.
    • Common fungal skin and nail diseases include athlete's foot, jock itch, and ringworm.
    • Athlete's foot causes scaling, flaking, and itching of the affected skin.
    • Athlete's foot can usually be diagnosed by visual inspection of the skin, but where the diagnosis is in doubt direct microscopy of a potassium hydroxide preparation (known as a KOH test) may help rule out other possible causes, such as eczema or psoriasis.
    • Affected areas may appear red, tan, or brown, with flaking, rippling, peeling, or cracking skin.

  • Genital Ulcer Diseases

    • Genital ulcers are skin ulcers on the genital area caused by sexually transmitted diseases or noninfectious conditions.
    • Genital ulcers are skin ulcers located on the genital area and can be caused by a number of sexually transmitted diseases or other noninfectious conditions such as yeasts, trauma, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or Behcet's syndrome.
    • Testing for a specific infectious agent depends on the likelihood of its presence.
    • In the U.S., testing is recommended for syphilis (by serology and darkfield microscopy) and HSV (culture, serology or PCR), and in cases of chancroid outbreaks or based on the medical history, for the presence of Haemophilus ducreyi.
    • In about 25% of the cases, the reason for the ulcer will not be identified by laboratory testing.

  • Blastomycosis

    • Skin lesions, usually asymptomatic, that appear as ulcerated lesions with small pustules at the margins
    • Once inhaled in the lungs, Blastomycosis multiply and may disseminate through the blood and lymphatics to other organs, including the skin, bone, genitourinary tract, and brain.
    • Tissue biopsy of skin or other organs may be required in order to diagnose extra-pulmonary disease.
    • Commercially available urine antigen testing appears to be quite sensitive in suggesting the diagnosis in cases where the organism is not readily detected.
    • Fluconazole has also been tested on patients in Canada.

  • Leprosy

    • Skin lesions are the primary external sign .
    • Left untreated, leprosy can be progressive, causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs, and eyes.
    • Smooth, shiny, diffuse thickening of skin on the face, ears, and hands
    • Often there is atrophy of the testes and impotency.

  • The TORCH Panel of Tests

    • The TORCH panel of tests acronym spells out as follows:
    • A petechial rash on the skin may be present, with small reddish or purplish spots due to bleeding from capillaries under the skin.
    • Micrograph of a pap test showing changes (upper-right of image) associated with Herpes Simplex Virus, a TORCH infection.

  • Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases

    • Particular organ problems; such as diseases involving the skin, heart, facial development and skeletal system; may be present in certain conditions.
    • Tests for T cell function: skin tests for delayed-type hypersensitivity, cell responses to mitogens and allogeneic cells, cytokine production by cells
    • Tests for B cell function: antibodies to routine immunizations and commonly acquired infections, quantification of IgG subclasses
    • Tests for phagocyte function: reduction of nitro blue tetrazolium chloride, assays of chemotaxis, bactericidal activity
    • Many of these conditions are associated with skin problems.

  • Lymphogranuloma Venereum

    • The infectious agent enters the body through breaks in the skin or through the epithelial layer of mucous membranes.
    • The enlarged lymph nodes are called buboes and are painful, inflamed and can fixate to the skin.
    • Other tests include direct fluorescent antibody analysis (DFA) and PCR tests.

  • Chancroid (Soft Chancre)

    • It enters the body through breaks in the skin.
    • Quite often, these enlarged lymph nodes can rupture through the skin and produce draining abscesses.The first symptoms after infection are small painless bumps which quickly become painful ulcers.
    • Tests for the identification of Treponema pallidium (causes syphilis) and HSV (Herpes Simplex Virus, type 2) may be performed to exclude the possibility that ulcers are caused by those agents instead of Haemophilus ducreyi.
    • Even though serological and genetic tests can be used for identification, they are not widely used and culturing is the main tool for identifying Haemophilus ducreyi.