OBJECTIVE: To investigate potential transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in aircraft from a crew member with tuberculosis. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study and survey. SETTING: A large US airline carrier. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 212 crew members and 59 passengers who were exposed to a crew member with tuberculosis during a potentially infectious period (May through October 1992). Comparison volunteer sample of 247 unexposed crew members. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Positive tuberculin skin test (TST) result or tuberculosis. RESULTS: Rates of positive TST results were higher among foreign-born persons in all study groups. Among US-born comparisons and contacts, rates of positive TST results did not differ between comparisons and contacts exposed from May through July (5.3% vs 5.9%, respectively). However, contacts exposed from August through October had significantly higher rates of positive TST results than did contacts exposed from May through July (30% vs 5.8%, respectively; P < .001); two had documented TST conversions between September 1992 and February 1993. The risk of infection increased with increasing hours of exposure to the index case. Four (6.7%) of 59 frequent flyers were TST-positive; all flew in October. CONCLUSIONS: Data support the conclusion that M tuberculosis was transmitted from an infectious crew member to other crew members on an aircraft. Because of the clustering of TST-positive frequent flyers in October when the index patient was most infectious, transmission of M tuberculosis to passengers cannot be excluded.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate potential transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in aircraft from a crew member with tuberculosis. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study and survey. SETTING: A large US airline carrier. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 212 crew members and 59 passengers who were exposed to a crew member with tuberculosis during a potentially infectious period (May through October 1992). Comparison volunteer sample of 247 unexposed crew members. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Positive tuberculin skin test (TST) result or tuberculosis. RESULTS: Rates of positive TST results were higher among foreign-born persons in all study groups. Among US-born comparisons and contacts, rates of positive TST results did not differ between comparisons and contacts exposed from May through July (5.3% vs 5.9%, respectively). However, contacts exposed from August through October had significantly higher rates of positive TST results than did contacts exposed from May through July (30% vs 5.8%, respectively; P < .001); two had documented TST conversions between September 1992 and February 1993. The risk of infection increased with increasing hours of exposure to the index case. Four (6.7%) of 59 frequent flyers were TST-positive; all flew in October. CONCLUSIONS: Data support the conclusion that M tuberculosis was transmitted from an infectious crew member to other crew members on an aircraft. Because of the clustering of TST-positive frequent flyers in October when the index patient was most infectious, transmission of M tuberculosis to passengers cannot be excluded.
Authors: Krista Powell; Molly M Lamb; Mary K Sisk; Lynn Federline; Kimberly Seechuk; Lauren A Lambert; Ann M Buff Journal: Public Health Rep Date: 2012 Mar-Apr Impact factor: 2.792
Authors: Nicole Salazar-Austin; Alvaro A Ordonez; Alice Jenh Hsu; Jane E Benson; Mahadevappa Mahesh; Elizabeth Menachery; Jafar H Razeq; Max Salfinger; Jeffrey R Starke; Aaron M Milstone; Nicole Parrish; Eric L Nuermberger; Sanjay K Jain Journal: Lancet Infect Dis Date: 2015-11-16 Impact factor: 25.071
Authors: Patricia R Blank; Andreas U Freiburghaus; Bernhard R Ruf; Matthias M Schwenkglenks; Thomas D Szucs Journal: Med Klin (Munich) Date: 2009-01-23