title: Risk of tuberculous infection among healthcare workers in a tertiary-care hospital in Ankara, Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine risk factors for tuberculin skin test (TST) positivity among healthcare workers (HCWs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Two-step TST was performed in 2002.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary-care hospital in Ankara, Turkey.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 491 hospital HCWs were included. Information related to demographics, profession, work duration, department, and individual and family history of tuberculosis (TB) was obtained by a structured questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred eight (83%) had two-step TST positivity. On multivariate analysis, male physicians (relative risk [RR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI95], 1.23-1.69; P = .001), nurses (RR, 1.5; CI95, 1.29-1.66; P = .005), radiology technicians (RR, 1.7; CI95, 1.35-1.73; P = .002), laboratory technicians (RR, 1.6; CI95, 1.3-1.74; P = .007), and male housekeepers (RR, 1.6; (HCWs). CI95, 1.38-1.7; P < .001) had a higher risk than did female physicians. Among laboratory technicians, radiology technicians had the highest TST positivity (85%). HCWs working for less than 1 year (RR, 0.8; CI95, 0.72-0.98; P = .027) had a lower risk of infection. The HCWs having bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccination (RR, 1.12; CI95, 1.08-1.45) had higher TST positivity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Male physicians, nurses, and laboratory technicians had increased risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in this setting, but community exposure likely accounted for most infections.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Department, Ankara Numume Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Keskiner
authors.forename: Onder
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ergönül
authors.forename: Ziya
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Demiroglu
authors.forename: Sebnem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eren
authors.forename: Nurcan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Baykam
authors.forename: Basak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dokuzoguz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003428:Cross Infection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000209:etiology / Q000635:transmission*; D014421:Turkey