title: Pseudo-outbreak of tuberculosis in an acute-care general hospital: epidemiology and clinical implications.
abstract: A 10-fold increase in patients with Mycobacterium tuberculosis-positive specimens in one hospital laboratory prompted an investigation. Clinical and epidemiological data, along with M tuberculosis DNA fingerprinting results, indicated that laboratory contamination led to nine false-positive M tuberculosis cultures. Pseudo-infection should be considered in patients with unusual tuberculosis presentations, negative acid-fast bacilli smears, and only one positive culture with a low colony count.
authors.affiliation: Division of Tuberculosis Control, Epidemiology and Disease Control Program, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Baltimore 21201, USA.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cronin
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Valway
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bur
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hooper
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smithwick
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dwyer
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*