OBJECTIVE: The epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) among health care workers (HCWs) in India remains under-researched. This study is a nested case-control design assessing the risk factors for acquiring TB among HCWs in India. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTINGS: It is a nested case-control study conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital in India. Cases (n = 101) were HCWs with active TB. Controls (n = 101) were HCWs who did not have TB, randomly selected from the 6,003 subjects employed at the facility. Cases and controls were compared with respect to clinical and demographic variables. RESULTS: The cases and controls were of similar age. Logistic regression analysis showed that body mass index (BMI) <19 kg/m(2) (odds ratio [OR]: 2.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49-5.87), having frequent contact with patients (OR: 2.83, 95% CI: 1.47-5.45) and being employed in medical wards (OR: 12.37, 95% CI: 1.38-110.17) or microbiology laboratories (OR: 5.65, 95% CI: 1.74-18.36) were independently associated with increased risk of acquiring TB. CONCLUSION: HCWs with frequent patient contact and those with BMI <19 kg/m(2) were at high risk of acquiring active TB. Nosocomial transmission of TB was pronounced in locations, such as medical wards and microbiology laboratories. Surveillance of high-risk HCWs and appropriate infrastructure modifications may be important to prevent interpersonal TB transmission in health care facilities.
OBJECTIVE: The epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) among health care workers (HCWs) in India remains under-researched. This study is a nested case-control design assessing the risk factors for acquiring TB among HCWs in India. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTINGS: It is a nested case-control study conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital in India. Cases (n = 101) were HCWs with active TB. Controls (n = 101) were HCWs who did not have TB, randomly selected from the 6,003 subjects employed at the facility. Cases and controls were compared with respect to clinical and demographic variables. RESULTS: The cases and controls were of similar age. Logistic regression analysis showed that body mass index (BMI) <19 kg/m(2) (odds ratio [OR]: 2.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49-5.87), having frequent contact with patients (OR: 2.83, 95% CI: 1.47-5.45) and being employed in medical wards (OR: 12.37, 95% CI: 1.38-110.17) or microbiology laboratories (OR: 5.65, 95% CI: 1.74-18.36) were independently associated with increased risk of acquiring TB. CONCLUSION: HCWs with frequent patient contact and those with BMI <19 kg/m(2) were at high risk of acquiring active TB. Nosocomial transmission of TB was pronounced in locations, such as medical wards and microbiology laboratories. Surveillance of high-risk HCWs and appropriate infrastructure modifications may be important to prevent interpersonal TB transmission in health care facilities.
Authors: Carrie Tudor; Martie L Van der Walt; Bruce Margot; Susan E Dorman; William K Pan; Gayane Yenokyan; Jason E Farley Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2016-05-15 Impact factor: 9.079
Authors: O P Aslesh; N P Ubaid; S B Nagaraja; H D Shewade; K V Padmanabhan; B R Naik; M Satpati; S Blesson; A K Jayasree Journal: Public Health Action Date: 2015-12-21
Authors: Mark Hatherill; Thomas J Scriba; Zarir F Udwadia; Jai B Mullerpattan; Anthony Hawkridge; Hassan Mahomed; Christopher Dye Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2016-05-15 Impact factor: 9.079
Authors: Cheng Chen; Tao Zhu; Zhijian Wang; Hong Peng; Wen Kong; Yang Zhou; Yan Shao; Limei Zhu; Wei Lu Journal: PLoS One Date: 2015-10-27 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Mareli M Claassens; Cari van Schalkwyk; Elizabeth du Toit; Eline Roest; Carl J Lombard; Donald A Enarson; Nulda Beyers; Martien W Borgdorff Journal: PLoS One Date: 2013-10-02 Impact factor: 3.240