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Rates of Tuberculosis Infection in Healthcare Workers Providing Services to HIV-Infected Populations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2016

Karen Zahnow ,
John P. Matts ,
David Hillman ,
Elizabeth Finley ,
Lawrence S. Brown Jr ,
Ramon A. Torres ,
Jerome Ernst ,
Wafaa El-Sadr ,
George Perez  and
Carol Webster
...Show all authors
Karen Zahnow
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC
John P. Matts
Affiliation:
Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
David Hillman
Affiliation:
Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Elizabeth Finley
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC
Lawrence S. Brown Jr
Affiliation:
Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation, Harlem Hospital, Columbia University, New York City
Ramon A. Torres
Affiliation:
Clinical Directors' Network of Region II and St Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center of New York, New York City
Jerome Ernst
Affiliation:
Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, Bronx, New York
Wafaa El-Sadr
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Harlem Hospital Center, New York City, New York
George Perez
Affiliation:
New Jersey Community Research Initiative and Atlantic City Medical Center, New Jersey
Carol Webster
Affiliation:
Richmond AIDS Consortium, Richmond, Virginia
Beverly Barber
Affiliation:
Denver CPCRA, Denver Public Health Department, Denver, Colorado
Fred M. Gordin*
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC
*
Infectious Diseases (2C South), VA Medical Center, 50 Irving St NW, Washington, DC 20422
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To assess the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) or a positive skin test in healthcare workers (HCWs) providing services to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals and to determine prospectively the incidence of new infections in this population.

DESIGN:

This prospective cohort study enrolled 1,014 HCWs working with HIV-infected populations from 10 metropolitan areas. Purified protein derivative (PPD) tuberculin skin tests were placed at baseline and every 6 months afterwards on those without a history of TB or a positive PPD. Demographic, occupational, and TB exposure data also were collected.

SETTING:

Outpatient clinics, hospitals, private practice offices, and drug treatment programs providing HIV-related healthcare and research programs.

PARTICIPANTS:

A voluntary sample of staff and volunteers from 16 Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS units.

RESULTS:

Factors related to prior TB or a positive skin test at baseline included being foreign-born, increased length of time in health care, living in New York City, or previous bacille Calmette-Guerín vaccination. The rate of PPD conversion was 1.8 per 100 person years of follow-up. No independent relation was found between the amount or type of contact with HIV-infected populations and the risk of TB infection.

CONCLUSION:

These data provide some reassurance that caring for HIV-infected patients is not related to an increased rate of TB infection among HCWs in these settings.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 19 , Issue 11 , November 1998 , pp. 829 - 835
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1998

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