A tuberculin substance prepared from a patient's own tuberculosis bacteria, used experimentally in tuberculosis treatment and testing.
From auto- (self) + tuberculin (from tubercle + -in, chemical suffix). Medical term combining self-derived biological material with tuberculosis diagnostic substances.
In early tuberculosis research, doctors theorized that using a patient's own TB bacteria might trigger immunity—it didn't work, but this experimental approach helped develop the modern tuberculin skin test.
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