title: Spatio-temporal analysis of tuberculosis in Spain, 2008-2010.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The characteristics of respiratory tuberculosis (TB) favour the appearance of clusters of cases in space and time. It is important for public health authorities to know which clusters occur randomly and which merit further investigation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To detect spatial and spatio-temporal clusters of respiratory TB in Spain during the period from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective spatio-temporal study of respiratory TB cases reported to Spain's National Epidemiological Surveillance Network from 2008 to 2010, at a municipal level. We used the purely spatial and space-time Scan statistic estimators. All analyses were adjusted for age and sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The spatial cluster analysis detected 28 significant clusters and the spatio-temporal cluster analysis detected 20 significant clusters. The most likely spatial cluster comprised seven municipalities in the Greater Barcelona Area. Most space-time clusters were situated in the same area, and were detected between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The distribution of TB clusters as shown by the proposed models furnishes a spatial pattern of the distribution of the disease. The two methods used can be a useful tool for analysing the distribution of respiratory TB in Spain.
authors.affiliation: Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Epidemiología y Salud Pública, National Center for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health, Madrid, Spain. dgomez@isciii.es
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gómez-Barroso
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Valín
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cano
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011634:Public Health; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology*