BACKGROUND Travelers to countries with high tuberculosis incidence can acquire infection during travel. We sought to compare four screening interventions for travelers from low-incidence countries, who visit countries with varying tuberculosis incidence. METHODS Decision analysis model: We considered hypothetical cohorts of 1,000 travelers, 21 years old, visiting Mexico, the Dominican Republi...

Pulmonary surfactant and its components are essential for normal lung function and are involved in local host defense. Surfactant protein (SP)-A and SP-D bind to and modulate phagocytosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by macrophages. Frequency comparisons of SP marker alleles in tuberculosis patients and healthy control subjects (tuberculin-skin test positive or general population) were perform...

BACKGROUND One of the measures adopted in Israel since 1959 as part of the tuberculosis control program was screening children aged 12-13 years old. The screening comprised single-step tuberculin skin testing using the Mantoux method. OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy of tuberculin skin screening for TB in schoolchildren in southwestern Israel as well as the compliance to treatment for latent...

A cohort of 123 adult contacts was followed for 18-24 months (86 completed the follow-up) to compare conversion and reversion rates based on two serial measures of QuantiFERON (QFT) and tuberculin skin test (TST) (PPD from TUBERSOL, Aventis Pasteur, Canada) for diagnosing latent tuberculosis (TB) in household contacts of TB patients using conventional (C) and borderline zone (BZ) definitions. Q...

INTRODUCTION Results of systematic screening of healthcare workers (HCWs) for tuberculosis (TB) with the tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon-γ release assays (IGRA) in a Portuguese hospital from 2007 to 2010 are reported. METHODS All HCWs are offered screening for TB. Screening is repeated depending on risk assessment. TST and QuantiFERON Gold In-Tube (QFT) are used simultaneously. X-ra...

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is currently based on the immunological response of T-cells to M. tuberculosis (MTB) antigens. However, the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube assay (QFT) has not yet been evaluated in the Thai adult population. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the diagnostic performance and determine predictors of discordant results between the QF...

OBJECTIVES The risk of transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from patients with tuberculosis to health care workers (HCWs) has been well documented but little is known about the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in Iranian HCWs. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of LTBI among HCWs by using IFNgamma-release assay and compare the results with those of tub...

BACKGROUND On April 1, 2004, BCG (bacille Calmette-Guérin), a tuberculosis (TB) control vaccine, was discontinued in all but four high-risk communities in Alberta. To confirm the safety of vaccine withdrawal, and for future planning, the annual risk of infection (ARI) was determined in preschool First Nations children. METHODS First Nations children born into reserve communities in Alberta be...

The targets for tuberculosis control, framed within the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, are to ensure that the incidence per head of tuberculosis is falling by 2015, and that the 1990 prevalence and mortality per head are halved by 2015. In monitoring progress in tuberculosis control, the ultimate aim for all countries is to count tuberculosis cases (incidence) accurately through ...