Pulmonary calcification and skin sensitivities to tuberculin, histoplasmin and coccidioidin among Polynesians.

Pulmonary calcifications are fairly common in Western Samoa, but they cannot be attributed entirely to tuberculosis, since they are also produced by certain systemic mycoses and parasitic infestations. Furthermore, in many tropical areas, skin sensitivity to tuberculin is often due to certain unidentified weak sensitizing agents, rather than to the usual virulent tubercle bacilli.Skin sensitivity to histoplasmin and coccidioidin is absent in both Western Samoa and the Tokelau Islands; consequently, pulmonary calcifications found in these places cannot be attributed to either histoplasmosis or coccidioidomycosis.Both Western Samoans and Tokelauans exhibit non-specific reactions to tuberculin throughout their lives, but these reactions are clearer and more distinct in groups aged 15 years or more.The prevalence of non-specific sensitivity to tuberculin should be investigated further.