title: Household symptomatic contact screening of newly diagnosed sputum smears positive tuberculosis patients - An effective case detection tool.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Primary objective was to assess the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) among household contacts of newly diagnosed sputum smear (SS) positive TB index cases. Secondary objectives were the evaluation of risk factors in household contacts for acquiring TB disease; and the evaluation of various characteristics of index cases which influence the transmission of disease to household contacts.
  
  
  METHODS
  This exploratory cohort study included 521 household contacts of 133 newly diagnosed SS positive TB patients who were registered under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program at the Directly Observed Treatment-Short Course Centres of District Tuberculosis Centre, Kolhapur, Maharashtra from July 1, 2013 to February 28, 2014 (8 months).
  
  
  METHODS
  Household contacts with symptoms suggestive to TB were subjected to SS examination of two samples for acid fast bacilli by Ziehl-Neelsen staining and for X-ray chest postero-anterior view. Presence of risk factors in symptomatic contacts was also recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighteen contacts out of 521 (3.45%) had symptoms suggestive of TB. Of these, 6 contacts were diagnosed to have TB; 5 being sputum positive cases and one with X-ray suggestive of TB; giving a prevalence of 1.15 %. The study achieved a yield of 4.51% secondary cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Household contact screening of newly diagnosed TB index cases provides modest yield of cases. Relatively fewer secondary symptomatic persons need to be investigated by this method for achieving additional yield proving it to be a practical and feasible approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, RCSM Government Medical College, Kolhapur, India.
authors.forename: Mridul
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, RCSM Government Medical College, Kolhapur, India.
authors.forename: Anita A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Saibannavar
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, IIHMR University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
authors.forename: Vinod
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumar
keywords: Case detection; contact screening; tuberculosis