Unusually high incidence of tuberculosis among boys with haemophilia during an outbreak of the disease in hospital.

Of 30 children with bleeding disorders exposed to an index tuberculosis case, six developed primary pulmonary tuberculosis and two others became positive skin reactors. There was a significant correlation between the amount of replacement treatment received and the development of evidence of tuberculous infection. Only two of those who developed evidence of tuberculosis had antibodies to the human T cell lymphotropic virus. These two boys showed much later Mantoux positive conversion than the six others.