title: Prevalence of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis in different ethnic groups in India: evaluation of public health.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in a high-risk rural area of central India.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of primary data.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 10,963 sputum smears were screened from Hindu tribes (n = 4032), Hindu non-tribal (n = 5445) and Muslim communities (n = 1486) between 2004 and 2009. Smears were recorded as positive or negative for tubercle bacilli following staining with acid-fast bacilli, in accordance with the guidelines of the World Health Organization. Age- and gender-specific prevalence rates and relative risks (RR) were calculated using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 13.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of TB was found to be significantly higher in Hindu tribes compared with Hindu castes and Muslims (P < 0.005). The overall RR of developing smear-positive disease was 1.4-fold higher (95% confidence interval 1.1-1.7; P < 0.005) in males than females in all the study groups. The highest prevalence of TB was observed in subjects aged 15-34 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hindu tribes and males of working age are still at high risk of smear-positive TB.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Genomics, School of Studies in Zoology, Jiwaji University, Vidya Vihar, Gwalior 47401, Madhya Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Raj
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prakash
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Poojary
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Mehra
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Tiwari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D018596:Hinduism; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007514:Islam; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011634:Public Health; D012424:Rural Population; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology*; D055815:Young Adult