Your doctor may not know how to identify tuberculosis without a test.

Johns Hopkins researchers asked 131 medical residents 20 questions about the contagious lung disease in a study published Thursday in medical journal BMC Infectious Diseases.

The median test score was 55 percent.

“Our results demonstrate that improved training is needed about how best to diagnose and care for people with latent and active TB,” said Dr. Petros Karakousis, lead author of the study.

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An estimated 10 to 15 million people in the U.S. have the latent form of TB, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A person with latent TB shows no symptoms and is not contagious, but still carries a dormant version of the disease’s bacterium.

Without treatment, however, the bacterium may become active in its virulent and potentially lethal form, according to information from Johns Hopkins. While the disease is largely treatable, 662 people died of it in 2004.

The recent medical school graduates tested answered only 40 percent of the questions on latent TB correctly, and only 57 percent of them correctly on active TB, according to the study.

Some strains of the disease are extremely drug-resistant, such was the case of Andrew Speaker which gained international notoriety.

“Despite the poor results for trainees, people cannot assume that lack of comprehensive knowledge about tuberculosis leads to poor patient care,” Karakousis said. “Medical residents may be quick to consult experts in infection control, infectious diseases, or in pulmonary medicine to assist in diagnosis, isolation and treatment.”

aparchman@baltimoreexaminer.com