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Neonatal tuberculosis: an experience that teaches
Costantino Romagnoli1, Riccardo Riccardi, Velia Purcaro
1Department of Paediatrics, Catholic University, A. Gemelli University Hospital, Rome, Italy. cromagnoli@rm.unicatt.it
Objective:
This study reports on an experience following contact by a large number of newborn babies with a nurse infected by active tuberculosis (TB).
Methods:
A large number of newborn babies were checked for possible contact with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) using interferon-gamma tests (IGTs) to determine specific treatment.
Results:
One hundred and seven infants showed a positive IGT positive and were not affected by active TB. All were treated with anti-tubercular drugs and were followed-up for 1 year. None of the infants developed active TB and all infants showed normal tuberculin skin tests and chest-x-rays, as well as IGT results at the end of treatment.
Conclusions:
Our experience suggests that newborns are at low risk of infection after contact with a nurse with active TB. IGTs can be used to assess possible contact with MTB and to determine a reduced number of infants to treat.
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