Risk of Tuberculous Infection Among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary-Care Hospital in Ankara, Turkey

Abstract

To determine risk factors for tuberculin skin test (TST) positivity among healthcare workers (HCWs). Two-step TST was performed in 2002. Tertiary-care hospital in Ankara, Turkey. A sample of 491 hospital HCWs were included. Information related to demographics, profession, work duration, department, and individual and family history of tuberculosis (TB) was obtained by a structured questionnaire. Four hundred eight (83%) had two-step TST positivity. On multivariate analysis, male physicians (relative risk [RR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI95], 1.23-1.69; P = .001), nurses (RR, 1.5; CI95, 1.29-1.66; P = .005), radiology technicians (RR, 1.7; CI95, 1.35-1.73; P = .002), laboratory technicians (RR, 1.6; CI95, 1.3-1.74; P = .007), and male housekeepers (RR, 1.6; (HCWs). CI95, 1.38-1.7; P < .001) had a higher risk than did female physicians. Among laboratory technicians, radiology technicians had the highest TST positivity (85%). HCWs working for less than 1 year (RR, 0.8; CI95, 0.72-0.98; P = .027) had a lower risk of infection. The HCWs having bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccination (RR, 1.12; CI95, 1.08-1.45) had higher TST positivity. Male physicians, nurses, and laboratory technicians had increased risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in this setting, but community exposure likely accounted for most infections.