title: Prevalence of tuberculosis infection and comparison of multiple-puncture liquid tuberculin test and Mantoux test among drug users.
abstract: In order to determine the prevalence of latent infection due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in drug users and to provide centres for drug users with a practical tool for tuberculosis screening, 237 drug users were subjected to the Monotest and, for reference purposes, to the Mantoux test. The overall prevalence of subjects with a tuberculin skin reaction size > or = 5 mm in the Mantoux test was 25.7%; utilizing a cut-off of > or = 10 mm, the prevalence was 11.4%. Irrespective of cut-off, the Monotest showed a sensitivity of > 90% and a specificity of > 80%. At a prevalence of 25.7%, and with cut-offs of > or = 5 or > or = 10 mm, the positive predictive value was 83% or 62.2%, respectively. Irrespective of cut-off, the negative predictive value was > 97%. In conclusion, the Monotest proved satisfactory as a tool for epidemiological screening in a population with a high prevalence for latent tuberculosis, namely drug users.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Quaglio
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lugoboni
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Talamini
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lechi
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mezzelani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014374:Tuberculin Test / Q000379:methods*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*