title: Contact tracing in pulmonary and non-pulmonary tuberculosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study was to determine the effectiveness of contact tracing for both pulmonary and non-pulmonary tuberculosis (TB).
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors studied contact tracing in South East of Scotland, Edinburgh TB Clinic, UK, for 3 years. New index cases of both pulmonary and non-pulmonary TB were identified from reviewing TB nurses records. Pulmonary involvement was excluded from all non-pulmonary cases. Active TB was diagnosed as per the national TB guidelines. Latent TB was diagnosed based on history, tuberculin skin test and interferon γ release assay. TB contacts were identified from reviewing TB nurses notes on index TB patients. A positive screening episode was defined as identification of either active or latent TB in a contact following relevant investigations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total number of positive screening episodes for pulmonary TB was 43.1% and non-pulmonary TB was 26.1%. Of these, 78.8% were household contacts and 21.2% were casual contacts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contact tracing in low-prevalence TB countries, for both pulmonary and non-pulmonary TB, is an essential intervention to identify and reduce the number of infected patients that will progress to active disease. This is the key for effective TB control.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK. pallavimandal@googlemail.com
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mandal
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Craxton
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gilhooley
authors.forename: I F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Laurenson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McSparron
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016358:Contact Tracing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D014374:Tuberculin Test; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology