title: The investigation of a tuberculosis outbreak in the closed environment of a U.S. Navy ship, 1987.
abstract: A sailor on a U.S. Navy ship had smear-positive, cavitary, pulmonary tuberculosis. Contact investigation of the entire ship's crew found 216 new reactors to tuberculin skin test (24.5%) among 881 previously tuberculin-negative sailors. The risk for new infection was highest among sailors in the patient's department (relative risk, 4.4; 95% confidence interval 3.7, 5.3); 95% (15/16) of sailors in his division were new reactors. While crewmembers in all departments were at risk for a new tuberculosis infection, working and berthing in compartments that were distant from those of the index case were protective. The ship's closed ventilation system contributed to the outbreak.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, USS SAIPAN (LHA 2), FPO, NY 09549-1605.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: DiStasio
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Trump
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009326:Naval Medicine; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014691:Ventilation / Q000379:methods