On your lab requisition: Quest “QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus, 1 Tube” (test code 36970)Labcorp “QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus” (test no. 182879)BioReference “QFT - TB GOLD PLUS (QUANTIFERON)” (test code T814-3)
The short answer
QuantiFERON-TB blood test — more accurate than the skin test with no return visit needed, measured from a standard blood draw. At TestWell it costs $91.99 plus a $6 lab processing fee, needs no fasting, and results post in 3–5 business days. Physician-authorized with no doctor's visit or insurance needed; draw at Quest or Labcorp.
Hospital Lab
$350
cash pay
Other Labs
$149
+ lab fees
TestWell
$91.99
+ $6 lab processing fee
Have symptoms? See a clinician instead of testing.
If you have a cough lasting 3+ weeks, are coughing up blood, or have fever, night sweats, or unexplained weight loss, the right step is a clinical evaluation now — not ordering a test and waiting. A negative blood test does not rule out TB disease in someone with symptoms. Also: if you've had a documented positive TB test before, don't retest — bring your prior result to a clinician instead.
The QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus blood test measures your immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Unlike the traditional skin test, it requires only one visit, is not affected by prior BCG vaccination, and has fewer false positives. It's required for many employment, school, and immigration purposes. A positive result indicates TB exposure but does not distinguish between latent and active TB infection.
Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) — modern blood-based tuberculosis test. More specific than the older skin test (TST/PPD) because it isn't affected by prior BCG vaccination.
Healthcare workers (annual screening), anyone starting biologic medications (TNF-alpha inhibitors, JAK inhibitors), recent immigrants from high-TB-prevalence countries, anyone with known TB exposure, school/employment requirements.
Sample Type
Blood draw
Fasting
Not required
Results In
3–5 business days
Performed At
Quest or Labcorp
1 biomarker tested
Your Tuberculosis (TB) Blood Test results will include values for each of the 1 biomarker tested, along with reference ranges. Results are reviewed by a licensed physician before being released to your secure portal.
If any values fall outside the normal range, your report will include guidance on what that may mean and recommended next steps. You'll receive an email notification when your results are ready, typically within 3–5 business days.
Typical reference range layout
Lab reports show where your value sits relative to established reference intervals—your physician interprets this in context for you. Already have results? Analyze them with your AI assistant against our physician-reviewed ranges.
No fasting required. Sample must be processed within 16 hours of collection.
The short answer
Yes when someone requires TB documentation from you - a university, employer, or your own preparation ahead of an immigration medical exam - or after a known exposure. The QuantiFERON blood test needs one visit, is not skewed by childhood BCG vaccination, and produces the CLIA-certified report institutions accept.
We would rather you order the right test than the most expensive one.
This is a walk-in venous draw at Quest or Labcorp. QuantiFERON samples must be processed within about 16 hours of collection in special tubes, which is why it is not a mail-in kit and why we route it through lab locations that handle it daily. No fasting or preparation - walk in any time.
An at-home draw is not recommended for this test — it needs a lab-based collection to be accurate.
The markers that matter most and what an out-of-range value can mean. Reference ranges vary by lab, age and sex.
| Marker | Typical range | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (IGRA) | Negative | Negative means no immune memory of TB bacteria - the result schools and employers are looking for. Positive means exposure at some point (roughly 1 in 4 people worldwide), NOT active disease; the next step is a chest X-ray to rule out active TB, and latent TB is treatable with a short antibiotic course. |
This section medically reviewed by Youmna DiStefano, MD — updated July 2026. General health information, not medical advice; interpret results with a qualified clinician.
A Tuberculosis (TB) Blood Test costs $91.99 at TestWell — $97.99 all-in when ordered alone, because the $6 lab processing fee is charged once per order, with no draw fee or physician fee added. Ordered directly from the labs' own consumer sites, the same test lists at $149.00 at Quest Health and $149.00 at Labcorp OnDemand (list prices checked Sep 12, 2026). Hospital outpatient labs typically bill around $350.00 self-pay for the same test, and often more. With insurance, what you pay depends on your deductible and your plan's negotiated rate; TestWell's price is fixed before the draw and is HSA/FSA-eligible. Full cost breakdown →
| Where you order | Price | One test, all-in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TestWell (drawn at Quest or Labcorp) | $91.99 | $97.99 | Includes the one $6 lab processing fee, charged once per order |
| Quest Health (Quest Diagnostics' own site) | $149.00 | $149.00 | list price checked Sep 12, 2026 |
| Labcorp OnDemand (Labcorp's own site) | $149.00 | $149.00 | list price checked Sep 12, 2026 |
| Hospital outpatient lab, self-pay (typical) | $350.00 | $350.00 | Reference figure; hospital charges vary widely by facility and are often higher |
34% less than the lower lab-direct list price, for the same draw at the same lab. Lab test codes: Quest test code 36970 · Labcorp test no. 182879 · BioReference code T814-3. Competitor prices are read from the linked public pages and re-checked regularly; the labs' sites may add taxes or change prices without notice.
Compare more: Quest Diagnostics price list · Labcorp price list · Quest vs Labcorp · Lab test price checker
The blood test (IGRA — QuantiFERON or T-SPOT) is a single draw with results in 2-3 days. The skin test (TST/PPD) requires two visits 48-72 hours apart and produces false-positives in anyone who received the BCG vaccine (common outside the US). The blood test is more specific and preferred for BCG-vaccinated patients and healthcare workers.
Positive: TB exposure has occurred (latent or active). Requires chest X-ray and clinical evaluation to distinguish — latent infections need treatment to prevent reactivation; active TB requires combination antibiotic therapy. Negative: no evidence of TB infection. Indeterminate (rare): repeat the test, often related to immune suppression or sample handling.
Latent: TB bacteria present but dormant — no symptoms, not contagious, but 5-10% lifetime risk of reactivation. Active: TB bacteria multiplying — symptoms (cough, weight loss, night sweats), contagious, requires immediate treatment. Both are diagnosed via the same blood test plus clinical follow-up.
On TestWell the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus blood test is $91.99 (plus a $6 lab processing fee), drawn at Quest or Labcorp with no appointment. The same IGRA test is $149 at both Quest Health and Labcorp OnDemand (checked September 2026); urgent-care and occupational-health clinics commonly charge $100–$200 for the draw plus a visit fee, and hospital-billed testing runs $250–$350 without insurance. The older PPD skin test is cheaper (about $30–$75 at pharmacies and clinics) but needs a second visit 48–72 hours later to read, and it gives false positives in anyone who had the BCG vaccine — which is why most employers, schools and immigration physicals now accept or require the blood test.
No fasting required. Tube handling matters more than patient preparation — most labs process the sample within hours of draw, so don't sit on the sample.
TNF-alpha inhibitors (Humira, Remicade, Enbrel), JAK inhibitors (Xeljanz, Rinvoq), and other biologics suppress the immune response that keeps latent TB dormant. Untreated latent TB can reactivate dramatically once these drugs start. Screening + treating latent TB before initiating biologics is standard of care.
The "TB shot" is the tuberculin skin test (TST/PPD) — a small injection under the skin that a clinician reads 48–72 hours later at a second visit; it is not a vaccine. TestWell's TB screening is the one-visit QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus blood test: $91.99 (plus the $6 per-order lab processing fee), no doctor's order or insurance required, results in 3–5 business days, and no return trip. Clinics price the skin test per visit, so two appointments often cost more than the single blood draw.
Often only when a clinician orders it for a medical reason. Screening required by an employer, school or immigration is frequently billed to you, or needs a doctor's visit first. Self-pay at TestWell is $91.99 for the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus blood test with the physician order included; HSA and FSA cards are accepted and your receipt can be submitted for reimbursement.
QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus is an interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA): a blood test that measures your immune system's response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteins. It needs one visit, is not affected by prior BCG vaccination and has fewer false positives than the skin test. A positive result means TB exposure has occurred but does not distinguish latent from active infection — a chest X-ray and clinical evaluation follow.
For your own preparation, yes - it is the same IGRA test type civil surgeons use. But the official I-693 exam must be performed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon who orders testing under their own direction. Self-ordered results do not replace the exam; they tell you in advance what the exam will find, which is exactly what protects your timeline.
The blood test, almost always. It needs one visit instead of two, and it is not affected by the BCG vaccine - the skin test frequently reads falsely positive in BCG-vaccinated people, which describes most students and immigrants from TB-endemic countries. The CDC prefers IGRA testing for anyone BCG-vaccinated, and universities accept it universally.
Exposure, not illness. A positive IGRA means your immune system has met TB bacteria before - true for about a quarter of the world's population. It cannot distinguish latent infection from active disease, so the next step is a chest X-ray. Latent TB is not contagious and is treatable with a 3-4 month antibiotic course; schools and employers work with documented latent TB routinely.
Results arrive 3-5 business days after your draw, and you can usually walk into a Quest or Labcorp the same day you order - no appointment or US doctor needed. Most students clear a health hold within a week, end to end.
A QuantiFERON-TB Gold test costs $91.99 out of pocket at TestWell ($97.99 all-in with the $6 per-order lab processing fee) — it is sold here as the Tuberculosis (TB) Blood Test, with no doctor's visit or insurance required. Ordered directly from the labs' own sites, the same test lists at $149.00 at Quest Health and $149.00 at Labcorp OnDemand (checked September 2026). Results in 3–5 business days.
Ordered directly, a Tuberculosis (TB) Blood Test lists at $149.00 at Quest Health (Quest Diagnostics' own site) and $149.00 at Labcorp OnDemand (prices checked September 2026). TestWell orders the same test at the same Quest or Labcorp patient service centers for $91.99 — $97.99 all-in with the $6 per-order lab processing fee — paid out of pocket at checkout with no insurance, doctor's visit or draw fee; HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
Order the Tuberculosis (TB) Blood Test online from TestWell for $91.99 (plus a $6 per-order lab processing fee) — no doctor's visit, referral or insurance needed. A licensed physician authorizes the order, then you walk into any Quest or Labcorp patient service center near you for the draw (the lab locator on our site lists the closest ones by ZIP code), and results arrive in 3–5 business days.
The CPT code for a Tuberculosis (TB) Blood Test is 86480. You can order it from TestWell for $91.99 — no doctor's visit or insurance required, with results in 3–5 business days.
The Tuberculosis (TB) Blood Test is Quest Diagnostics test code 36970 ("QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus, 1 Tube"), Labcorp test number 182879 ("QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus"), BioReference code T814-3 ("QFT - TB GOLD PLUS (QUANTIFERON)") (CPT 86480). TestWell orders it under those codes for $91.99 at Quest, Labcorp or BioReference — no doctor's visit or insurance required, results in 3–5 business days. Codes verified against the labs' catalogs in 2026.
Medically reviewed by Youmna DiStefano, MD · Last reviewed September 2026
Related guide
TB Blood Test vs. Skin Test: How QuantiFERON (IGRA) Works and Which One You Need
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How Much Does a TB Test Cost? Skin Test vs Blood Test Prices by Setting, With and Without Insurance
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TB Test Near Me: Where to Get a TB Blood Test Today (Quest, Labcorp, Health Department, Urgent Care)
TestWell Price
$91.99
+ $6 lab processing fee at checkout
Have symptoms? See a clinician instead of testing.
If you have a cough lasting 3+ weeks, are coughing up blood, or have fever, night sweats, or unexplained weight loss, the right step is a clinical evaluation now — not ordering a test and waiting. A negative blood test does not rule out TB disease in someone with symptoms. Also: if you've had a documented positive TB test before, don't retest — bring your prior result to a clinician instead.
No insurance needed · HIPAA compliant
Better value: the Immigration Exam Prep Panel
Save $24.98This test is part of the Immigration Exam Prep Panel — 3 tests · 5 biomarkers for $159.99, $24.98 less than à la carte.
$159.99$184.97
3 tests · 5 biomarkers
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