Excess Risk of Tuberculosis Infection Among Extra-household Contacts of Tuberculosis Cases in an African City
Loading...
Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Clinical Infectious Diseases
Abstract
Although households of tuberculosis (TB) cases represent a setting for intense transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis,
household exposure accounts for <20% of transmission within a community. The aim of this study was to estimate excess
risk of M. tuberculosis infection among household and extra-household contacts of index cases.
Methods. We performed a cross-sectional study in Kampala, Uganda, to delineate social networks of TB cases and matched
controls without TB. We estimated the age-stratified prevalence difference of TB infection between case and control networks, partitioned
as household and extra-household contacts.
Results. We enrolled 123 index cases, 124 index controls, and 2415 first-degree network contacts. The prevalence of infection
was highest among household contacts of cases (61.5%), lowest among household contacts of controls (25.2%), and intermediary
among extra-household TB contacts (44.9%) and extra-household control contacts (41.2%). The age-adjusted prevalence difference
between extra-household contacts of cases and their controls was 5.4%. The prevalence of infection was similar among the majority
of extra-household case contacts and corresponding controls (47%).
Conclusions. Most first-degree social network members of TB cases do not have adequate contact with the index case to experience
additional risk for infection, but appear instead to acquire infection through unrecognized exposures with infectious cases in
the community.
Description
Keywords
Tuberculosis, Latent tuberculosis infection, Household contact investigation, Transmission, Tuberculin skin test
Citation
Kakaire, R., Kiwanuka, N., Zalwango, S., Sekandi, JN, Quach, THT, Castellanos, ME, ... & Whalen, CC (2021). Excess risk of tuberculosis infection among extra-household contacts of tuberculosis cases in an African City. Clinical Infectious Diseases , DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1556