Analysis of latent tuberculosis and mycobacterium avium infection data using mixture models.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Estimation of the frequency of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is difficult in areas with low tuberculosis infection rates and high exposure to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), including BCG vaccination. The objective was to assess LTBI and M avium infection and to estimate their probability based on skin tests responses in an infant population from a region with the aforementioned characteristics.

Methods

A population-based tuberculin skin test (TST) and sensitin (M avium) survey was conducted on seven years old infants in Biscay, a province from The Basque Country (Spain). 2268 schoolchildren received sensitin and 5277 TST. Participation rate was 89%. Commonly used estimation methods were compared with a method based on the fit of mixture models using th

SUBMITTER: Villate JI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1599726 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature