Volume 8, Number 11—November 2002
THEME ISSUE
Tuberculosis Genotyping
Tuberculosis Genotyping Network, United States
Identifying the Sources of Tuberculosis in Young Children: A Multistate Investigation
, Diane E. Bennett†, Jennifer Flood*, Ann M. Loeffler*, Steve Kammerer†, and Barbara A. Ellis†
Table 3
Demographic, clinical, and risk characteristics of 53 source patients with tuberculosis (TB) identified from public health investigationsa
| Source patient characteristics | No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Age group, yrs | |
| 15–24 | 11 (21) |
| 25–44 | 28 (53) |
| 45–64 | 10 (19) |
| 65+ | 4 (8) |
| Female | 24 (45) |
| Race or ethnicity | |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 22 (42) |
| Hispanic | 24 (45) |
| Asian | 5 (9) |
| Native American or Alaskan Native | 2 (4) |
| Foreign-bornb | 27 (51) |
| Bacteriologic results, sputum | |
| Smear positive/culture positive | 42 (79) |
| Smear positive/culture negative | 1 (2) |
| Smear negative/culture positive | 8 (15) |
| Smear not done/culture not done | 2 (4) |
| Cavitary chest radiographc | 33 (63) |
| Provider type | |
| Health department | 31 (58) |
| Private provider | 11 (11) |
| Both | 11 (11) |
| Directly observed therapyd | 47 (71) |
| Previous diagnosis of TB | 5 (9) |
| Drug-resistant isolatee | 5 (9) |
aThree source patients were identified as the source of infection for more than one culture-confirmed patient who was <5 years of age in the sentinel study population; two source patients transmitted to two children, and one transmitted to three children.
bCountry of origin was Mexico for 14 (26%) of the foreign-born patients.
cResults unknown for one patient.
dCompared to patients on self-administered therapy.
eDrug resistance on initial testing of isolate; resistance to at least one of the following: isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, pyrazinamide, streptomycin, and ethionamide. Testing results for one or more drugs could have been unknown or not done. Excludes one source patient for whom drug susceptibility testing was not done.