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Transmission of HIV-Associated Tuberculosis to Healthcare Workers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2016

GianPietro Cadeo
Affiliation:
Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases of the University of Verona, Division of Infectious Diseases of the Mantova General Hospital, Italy
Francesco Castelli
Affiliation:
Institute of Infectious Diseases of the University of Brescia, Italy
Rocco Micciolo
Affiliation:
Institute of Statistics of the University of Trento, Italy
Sergio Bassetti
Affiliation:
Tuberculosis Clinic of the Armanni Hospital of Arco di Trento, University of Genova, Italy
Franco Rubini
Affiliation:
Division of Pneumology of the Maggiore Hospital of Verona, University of Genova, Italy
Angelo Cazzadori
Affiliation:
Rronchoscopy Unit of the Maggiore Hospital of Verona, University of Genova, Italy
Stefania Marocco
Affiliation:
Rronchoscopy Unit of the Maggiore Hospital of Verona, University of Genova, Italy
Antonio Carlotto
Affiliation:
Rronchoscopy Unit of the Maggiore Hospital of Verona, University of Genova, Italy
Teresa Adami
Affiliation:
Rronchoscopy Unit of the Maggiore Hospital of Verona, University of Genova, Italy
Sandro Vento
Affiliation:
Rronchoscopy Unit of the Maggiore Hospital of Verona, University of Genova, Italy
Marina Malena
Affiliation:
Rronchoscopy Unit of the Maggiore Hospital of Verona, University of Genova, Italy
GianPiero Carosi
Affiliation:
Institute of Infectious Diseases of the University of Brescia, Italy
Ercole Concia
Affiliation:
Institute of Infectious Diseases of the University of Brescia, Italy
Dante Bassetti
Affiliation:
1st Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University of Genova, Italy

Abstract

Objective:

A retrospective investigation was made to compare the occupational risk of tuberculosis in personnel assisting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and uninfected subjects with active tuberculosis.

Design:

We retrospectively reviewed 6 years of hospital activity in 3 units where HIV-infected patients with tuberculosis are hospitalized and in 2 units where non-HIV-infected tuberculosis patients are hospitalized. The risk of occupational tuberculosis in healthcare workers who assisted HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected patients with tuberculosis was investigated.

Participants:

The risk of occupational tuberculosis in healthcare workers was studied by considering the numbers of potential source cases (hospitalized patients with tuberculosis) in the two conditions investigated (HIV-positive and HIV-negative). Both potential source cases and cases of tuberculosis in healthcare workers had to be microbiologically proven in order to be considered..

Results:

Seven cases of tuberculosis occurred in persons who cared for 85 HIV-infected subjects with tuberculosis, while only 2 cases occurred in staff members who took care of 1,079 HIV-negative tuberculosis patients over the same period (relative risk=44.4; 95% confidence interval = 8.5-438).

Conclusions:

Tuberculosis seems no longer to be a neglectable risk in healthcare workers assisting patients with HIV infection. Further study is urgently needed to see whether such unexpectedly high dissemination of tuberculosis also is demonstrable in the community.

Type
Brief Report
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1993

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