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Home / The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Volume 13, Number 1

Free Content Risk factors associated with recent transmission of tuberculosis: systematic review and meta-analysis [Review article]

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A systematic review of published articles was performed to identify risk factors associated with recent transmission of tuberculosis (TB). The computerized search identified studies in PubMed, Ovid, CDSR, CINAHL and EMBASE published between 1994 and 2005. Of 137 articles, 30 satisfied all the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. A random effects model estimated the odds ratio (OR), confidence interval (CI), and heterogeneity between studies. Recent transmission of TB was associated with: ethnic minority (OR 3.03, 95%CI 2.21– 4.16), being a native of the country (OR 2.33, 95%CI 1.76–3.08), residing in an urban area (OR 1.52, 95%CI 1.35–1.72), drug use (OR 3.01, 95%CI 2.14–4.22), excessive alcohol consumption (OR 2.27, 95%CI 1.69–3.06), homelessness (OR 2.87, 95%CI 2.04–4.02), previous incarceration (OR 2.21, 95%CI 1.71–2.86), human immunodeficiency virus infection/acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (OR 1.66, 95%CI 1.36–2.05), young age (OR 2.09, 95%CI 1.69–2.59), sputum smear positivity (OR 1.39, 95%CI 1.20–1.60) and male sex (OR 1.37, 95%CI 1.19–1.58). The results should be useful for improving prevention and control strategies, thus contributing to a reduction in Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission.

Keywords: molecular epidemiology; risk factors; transmission; tuberculosis

Document Type: Review Article

Affiliations: 1: Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET), Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Acapulco, Guerrero, México 2: Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA 3: Community Information and Epidemiological Technology (CIETcanada), Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada 4: Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico DF, México

Publication date: January 1, 2009

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  • The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is for clinical research and epidemiological studies on lung health, including articles on TB, TB-HIV and respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, asthma, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and air pollution. Individuals and institutes can subscribe to the IJTLD online or in print – simply email us at [email protected] for details.

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