Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2012 Mar-Apr;127(2):202-7.
doi: 10.1177/003335491212700209.

Passenger contact investigation associated with a transport driver with pulmonary tuberculosis

Krista Powell  1 , Molly M Lamb, Mary K Sisk, Lynn Federline, Kimberly Seechuk, Lauren A Lambert, Ann M Buff
Affiliations
Case Reports

Passenger contact investigation associated with a transport driver with pulmonary tuberculosis

Krista Powell et al. Public Health Rep. 2012 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Objectives: In October 2008, pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) was diagnosed in a driver who had transported 762 passengers in the District of Columbia metropolitan area during his infectious period. A passenger contact investigation was conducted by the six public health jurisdictions because of concern that some passengers might be infected with HIV or have other medical conditions that put them at increased risk for developing TB disease if infected.

Methods: Authorities evaluated 92 of 100 passengers with at least 90 minutes of cumulative exposure. Passengers with fewer than 90 minutes of cumulative exposure were evaluated if they had contacted the health department after exposure and had a medical condition that increased their risk of TB. A tuberculin skin test (TST) result of at least 5 millimeters induration was considered positive.

Results: Of 153 passengers who completed TST evaluation, 11 (7%) had positive TST results. TST results were not associated with exposure time or high-risk medical conditions. No TB cases were identified in the passengers.

Conclusions: The investigation yielded insufficient evidence that Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission to passengers had occurred. TB-control programs should consider transportation-related passenger contact investigations low priority unless exposure is repetitive or single-trip exposure is long.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure.
Figure.
Evaluations of passengers who were exposed to a transport driver with infectious TB in six metropolitan areas of the District of Columbia:a November 2008–January 2009
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Updated guidelines for the use of nucleic acid amplification tests in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009;58(1):7–10. - PubMed
    1. Notice to readers: new CDC program for rapid genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2005;54(2):47. - PubMed
    1. Taylor Z. Guidelines for the investigation of contacts of persons with infectious tuberculosis: recommendations from the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association and CDC. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2005;54(RR-15):1–37. - PubMed
    1. Driver CR, Valway SE, Morgan WM, Onorato IM, Castro KG. Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis associated with air travel. JAMA. 1994;272:1031–5. - PubMed
    1. Buff AM, Wiersma P, Sales R, DeVoe P, Marineau K, Harrington T. Investigation of an international traveler with suspected extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis—United States, 2007. Abstract presented at the 57th Annual Conference of the Epidemic Intelligence Service; 2008 Apr 14-18; Atlanta.

Publication types

MeSH terms