At a Glance Why Get Tested? To help detect or rule out a
Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in pleural fluid in order
to assist in the diagnosis of tuberculosis; rarely to detect the
infection in other body fluids such as peritoneal fluid or
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) When to Get Tested? When a doctor
suspects that someone with chest pain, coughing, and/or
difficulty breathing has tuberculosis that has spread to their
pleurae (lining around the lungs) A volume of pleural fluid is
collected by a doctor using a procedure called thoracentesis;
other body fluids are collected using other procedures Test
Preparation Needed? The Test Sample What is being tested?
Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is a protein that is produced by cells
throughout the body and is associated with the activation of
lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that plays a role in the
immune response to infections. Conditions that trigger the
immune system, such as an infection by Mycobacterium
tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB