Objectives: To determine the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and its predictors in general hospital personnel.
Methods: Two tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) were carried out within 2 years in a sample of 371 health care workers (HCWs) at a general hospital in Santiago de Cuba Province, along with an interview to explore the association of LTBI with age, sex, occupation, contact history of TB and bacille Calmette-Guérin scar. A 10 mm cut-off point was used; an increase of ≥10 mm in the second TST was considered as tuberculin conversion.
Results: Of the 350 HCWs with available TST re- sults, 82% were female; the mean age was 37.6 years. LTBI prevalence was 15.4%: it was highest in professionals (20.6%); 60.3% were non-reactors, and at the second test a year later 1.4% were converters. Among the HCWs, physicians had the highest prevalence (21.8%), followed by nurses (19.6%), while administrative staff had the lowest prevalence (3.3%). The mean induration was 3.78 mm; it was highest in professionals (4.4 mm) and the lowest among support staff (2.6 mm). Contact with TB cases was found to be a risk factor for LTBI.
Conclusions: Even at low levels, TB transmission in this hospital could be associated with risk exposure. It is recommended that preventive chemotherapy be given to tuberculin converters as an infection control measure in this hospital.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.5588/ijtld.10.0333 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Bots in white coats: are large language models the future of patient education? a multi-center cross-sectional analysis.
Int J Surg
January 2025
Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany.
Objectives: Every year, around 300 million surgeries are conducted worldwide, with an estimated 4.2 million deaths occurring within 30 days after surgery. Adequate patient education is crucial, but often falls short due to the stress patients experience before surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Novel Technique for rapid localization of pulmonary nodules on-site in Operating Room Followed by Lung Resection: a Case Series.
Int J Surg
January 2025
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, PRC.
Background: The localization of pulmonary nodules is crucial for surgical intervention. However, a safe, simple, and efficient method remains elusive. This study aims to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a newly developed preoperative localization method for pulmonary nodules called Rapid Localization of Pulmonary Nodules On-Site (RLPN-OS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNon-enhanced abbreviated MRI as a periodic surveillance protocol for colorectal liver metastases compared with contrast-enhanced CT: a prospective observational study.
Int J Surg
January 2025
Department of Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Background: Adopting appropriate noninvasive radiological method is crucial for periodic surveillance of liver metastases in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients after surgery, which is closely related to clinical management and prognosis. This study aimed to prospectively enroll stage II-III CRC patients for the surveillance of liver metastases, and compare the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced CT (CE-CT) and non-enhanced abbreviated MRI (NE-AMRI) during this process.
Methods: 587 CRC patients undergoing radical resection of the primary tumor were evaluated by 1 to 3 rounds of surveillance tests, consisting of abdominal CE-CT and contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) within 7 days at 6-month intervals.
Utilising Free Middle Turbinate Mucosal Grafts to Reconstruct the Septal Donor Site Following Nasoseptal Flap Harvesting in Endoscopic Endonasal Approach for Sellar and Parasellar Lesions.
Clin Otolaryngol
January 2025
School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Introduction: The nasoseptal flap (NSF) has become a widely favoured choice for reconstructing skull base defects following the endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA). However, the exposed septal cartilage and bone at the donor site often require an extended duration for secondary healing. This study investigated whether the free middle turbinate (MT) mucosa grafting at the septal donor site could mitigate post-operative nasal morbidity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRefractory and Resistant Herpes Simplex Virus Mucocutaneous Infections in Immunocompromised Patients: Literature Review and Proposed Definitions for Use in Clinical Trials.
Clin Infect Dis
January 2025
Department of Cellular Therapy and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center, Stockholm, Sweden.
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is one of the most prevalent viral infections worldwide. In general, host immunity is sufficient to clear viral shedding and recurrences, although it is insufficient to prevent subsequent virologic reactivations. In immunocompromised patients, prolonged and difficult-to-treat HSV infections may develop.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!