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Tuberculosis evaluation — ABFM Board MCQ

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ModerateRespiratoryTuberculosis evaluationABFM Board

A 34-year-old man recently immigrated from a country with high tuberculosis prevalence. He has 1 month of cough, night sweats, weight loss, and an upper-lobe infiltrate on chest radiograph. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step?

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Correct answer: E — Collect sputum for acid-fast bacilli smear, culture, and nucleic acid testing

Chronic cough with constitutional symptoms and upper-lobe infiltrate warrants prompt tuberculosis testing and infection control precautions.

Reference: CDC Tuberculosis Clinical Care: https://www.cdc.gov/tb/hcp/clinical-care/index.html