High risk for tuberculosis in hospital physicians, Peru.

Nancy Cordova Chavez,Carlos Vera Quispe,Jesús Chacaltana Huarcaya,Fay Leung,Robert H Gilman,Mayuko Saito,Nilo Bonifacio

doi:10.3201/eid0807.010506

Abstract

High risk for tuberculosis in hospital physicians, Peru.

Highlights

To the Editor: Occupational exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis poses a major risk to medical staff worldwide
Our study included 54 medical interns and 45 residents who began training in April 2000 at the Carrión Hospital, where all patients with TB are housed in wards without respiratory isolation
TST conversion from a negative to a positive result was defined as an increase of >10 mm in induration, according to criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (4)

Summary

Introduction

To the Editor: Occupational exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis poses a major risk to medical staff worldwide. Each study participant had an initial evaluation before beginning hospital training. TST conversion from a negative to a positive result was defined as an increase of >10 mm in induration, according to criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (4). All eight physicians whose relatives had been treated for TB were initially TST positive (p=0.01).

Results

Conclusion