Should neighbours of tuberculosis (TB) cases be prioritised for active case finding in high TB-burden settings? A prospective molecular epidemiological study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

In high tuberculosis (TB)-burden countries, considerable transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) likely occurs outside of households. We aimed to estimate the TB prevalence and incidence in households and neighbourhoods around known TB cases and to understand transmission patterns.

Methods

Household and neighbourhood contacts of pulmonary TB index cases from contiguous areas in Bandung, Indonesia, were screened and followed up for 12 months. Sputum samples underwent smear microscopy, M. tb culture, Xpert MTB/RIF, DNA isolation and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Pairwise single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) distance ≤12 defined transmission for pairs with known epidemiological links, or SNP≤3 for pairs without epidemiological link.

SUBMITTER: Koesoemadinata RC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12455430 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature