title: Tuberculosis among community-based health care researchers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Occupational tuberculosis (TB) in hospital-based health care workers is reported regularly, but TB in community-based health care researchers has not often been addressed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate TB incidence in health care researchers in a high TB and human immunodeficiency virus prevalent setting in the Western Cape, South Africa. The health care researchers were employed at the Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Stellenbosch University.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis was performed of routine information concerning employees at the Desmond Tutu TB Centre. The Centre has office-based and community-based employees.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 180 researchers included in the analysis, 11 TB cases were identified over 250.4 person-years (py) of follow-up. All cases were identified among community-based researchers. TB incidence was 4.39 per 100 py (95%CI 2.45-7.93). The standardised TB morbidity ratio was 2.47 (95%CI 1.25-4.32), which exceeded the standard population rate by 147%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TB incidence in South Africa was 948 per 100,000 population per year in 2007; in the communities where the researchers worked, it was 1875/100,000. Community-based researchers in the study population have a 2.34 times higher TB incidence than the community. It is the responsibility of principal investigators to implement occupational health and infection control guidelines to protect researchers.
authors.affiliation: Desmond Tutu Tuberculosis Centre, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa. mcla@sun.ac.za
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Claassens
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sismanidis
authors.forename: K-A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Godfrey-Faussett
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ayles
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Enarson
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Beyers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012108:Research Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult