SAN ANTONIO -- Hundreds of inmates at the Bexar County Jail were being tested Monday for tuberculosis.

Health officials said the testing was a precautionary measure after an inmate developed symptoms of the contagious form of the disease.

The inmate, a man from Eagle Pass, was tested for TB when he was processed in late March or early April, jail officials said. He initially showed no symptoms of the disease and was allowed into the jail's general population.

A few weeks later, the inmate developed night sweats, fever and a persistent cough, officials said. The man is now undergoing treatment.

A tracking system helped jail officials narrow down the number of inmates who may have come in contact with the infected inmate.

"Those time periods when he was here, there were inmates (who) were possibly exposed," said Max Navarro of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.

Navarro said the results of the skin test will be known later this week. Even though an inmate tests positive, it doesn't mean he or she is contagious.

If necessary, inmates who test positive will be given chest X-rays, a medical evaluation and treatment.

Jail staff, who can be tested at any time, will also undergo testing in a couple of weeks.

Officials said because of year-round testing at the jail, the facility serves as a clearinghouse for health problems that also exist outside of the jail.