title: Contact tracing for tuberculosis and treatment for latent infection in a low incidence country.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the yield of contact tracing after exposure to active tuberculosis (TB) cases in a low incidence area for TB as well as completion rate and tolerance to treatment for latent TB infection (LTBI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study based on a database including all patients evaluated in Geneva during contact tracing procedures; review of medical records of contacts for whom treatment of LTBI was indicated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  3582 subjects were screened over 10 years (on average 4.3 contacts per index case); 8 (0.2%) had active TB. LTBI was detected in 28% of subjects screened. Foreign origin, exposure and contagiousness of index case were predictive of LTBI. Of the 996 subjects with LTBI, files of 705 subjects followed at our centre were reviewed: treatment was indicated in 571 (81%). Side-effects led to interruption of treatment for LTBI in 32 cases (6.9% of subjects treated); 227 subjects eligible for treatment (40%) either refused or stopped treatment, or were lost to follow-up. Completion rate was 67%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a low-incidence environment for TB, contact tracing procedures had a very low yield for detection of active TB cases; acceptance and completion rates for LTBI therapy were in agreement with recent studies..
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary Diseases, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Langenskiold
authors.forename: François R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Luong
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rochat
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Janssens
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016358:Contact Tracing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*