TY - JOUR
T1 - Tuberculin skin testing surveillance of health care personnel
AU - Tuberculin Skin Testing Surveillance Project
AU - Panlilio, Adelisa L.
AU - Burwen, Dale R.
AU - Curtis, Amy B.
AU - Srivastava, Pamela U.
AU - Bernardo, John
AU - Catalano, Michela T.
AU - Mendelson, Meryl H.
AU - Nicholas, Peter
AU - Pagano, William
AU - Sulis, Carol
AU - Onorato, Ida M.
AU - Chamberland, Mary E.
PY - 2002/8/1
Y1 - 2002/8/1
N2 - To estimate the incidence of and assess risk factors for occupational Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission to health care personnel (HCP) in 5 New York City and Boston health care facilities, performance of prospective tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) was conducted from April 1994 through October 1995. Two-step testing was used at the enrollment of 2198 HCP with negative TST results. Follow-up visits were scheduled for every 6 months. Thirty (1.5%) of 1960 HCP with ≥1 follow-up evaluation had TST conversion (that is, an increase in TST induration of ≥10 mm). Independent risk factors for TST conversion were entering the United States after 1991 and inclusion in a tuberculosis-contact investigation in the workplace. These findings suggest that occupational transmission of M. tuberculosis occurred, as well as possible nonoccupational transmission or late boosting among foreign-born HCP who recently entered the United States. These results demonstrate the difficulty in interpreting TST results and estimating conversion rates among HCP, especially when large proportions of foreign-born HCP are included in surveillance.
AB - To estimate the incidence of and assess risk factors for occupational Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission to health care personnel (HCP) in 5 New York City and Boston health care facilities, performance of prospective tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) was conducted from April 1994 through October 1995. Two-step testing was used at the enrollment of 2198 HCP with negative TST results. Follow-up visits were scheduled for every 6 months. Thirty (1.5%) of 1960 HCP with ≥1 follow-up evaluation had TST conversion (that is, an increase in TST induration of ≥10 mm). Independent risk factors for TST conversion were entering the United States after 1991 and inclusion in a tuberculosis-contact investigation in the workplace. These findings suggest that occupational transmission of M. tuberculosis occurred, as well as possible nonoccupational transmission or late boosting among foreign-born HCP who recently entered the United States. These results demonstrate the difficulty in interpreting TST results and estimating conversion rates among HCP, especially when large proportions of foreign-born HCP are included in surveillance.
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U2 - 10.1086/341303
DO - 10.1086/341303
M3 - Article
C2 - 12115085
AN - SCOPUS:0036680497
SN - 1058-4838
VL - 35
SP - 219
EP - 227
JO - Clinical Infectious Diseases
JF - Clinical Infectious Diseases
IS - 3
ER -
