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Volume 32, Number 3—March 2026

Emerging Infection Networks Letter

Query into Tuberculosis Infection Screening and Management among Pregnant Migrants, Europe

Filippo Cioli Puviani1, Amina Zaffagnini1, Cristina Mazzi, Daniela Maria Cirillo, Francesco Di Gennaro, Ferenc Balázs Farkas, Lorenzo Guglielmetti, Yousra Kherabi, Heinke Kunst, Chiara Sepulcri, Christian Wejse, Laura Todaro, and Tamara UrsiniComments to Author 
Author affiliation: University of Verona, Verona, Italy (F. Cioli Puviani); IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar di Valpolicella, Italy (A. Zaffagnini, C. Mazzi, L. Guglielmetti, T. Ursini); Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy (D.M. Cirillo, C. Sepulcri); University of Bari, Bari, Italy (F. Di Gennaro); Institute of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary (F.B. Farkas); Pediatric Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest (F.B. Farkas); Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France (Y. Kherabi); Université Paris Cité, Inserm, Paris (Y. Kherabi); Queen Mary & Barts Health Tuberculosis Centre, Blizard Institute, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, London, UK (H. Kunst); University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy (C. Sepulcri); Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark (C. Wejse); Center for Global Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus (C. Wejse); Provincial Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano-Bozen, Italy (L. Todaro)

Main Article

Table

Risk factors and barriers reported by respondents to a network query into TB infection screening and management among pregnant migrants, Europe, 2025*

Risk factor or barrierNo. (%) respondents
Risk factors considered when screening offered during pregnancy, n = 37†
Recent TB contact34 (91.9)
HIV infection34 (91.9)
Immunosuppression31 (83.8)
Recent migration, <5 y22 (59.4)
Homelessness12 (32.4)
Diabetes7 (18.9)
Malnutrition
6 (16.2)
Risk factors considered when TB preventive treatment offered during pregnancy, n = 31†
HIV infection30 (96.8)
Recent TB contact27 (87.1)
Immunosuppression22 (71)
Recent migration, <5 y11 (35.5)
Diabetes7 (22.6)
Malnutrition7 (22.6)
Homelessness
5 (16.1)
Perceived barriers to TB infection screening, n = 37†
Chest radiograph issues‡28 (75.7)
Patient adherence11 (29.7)
Financial or healthcare system barriers10 (27)
Guideline gaps
8 (21.6)
Perceived barriers to TB preventive treatment, n = 42†
Patient-related factors33 (78.6)
Healthcare provider–related factors20 (47.6)
Guideline or policy gaps16 (38.1)
Healthcare system barriers12 (28.6)

*TB, tuberculosis. †Multiple responses were permitted. ‡Includes concerns regarding radiation exposure, which trimester radiographs can safely be administered, and patient acceptance of chest radiography during pregnancy.

Main Article

1These first authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: March 04, 2026
Page updated: March 23, 2026
Page reviewed: March 23, 2026
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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