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Updated: Apr 20, 2026
System for Efficacy and Cytotoxicity Screening of Inhibitors Targeting Intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Published on: April 5, 2017
Pre-entry screening programmes for tuberculosis in migrants to low-incidence countries: a systematic review and
Robert W Aldridge1, Tom A Yates1, Dominik Zenner2
1Research Department of Infection and Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
Background:
Several high-income countries have pre-entry screening programmes for tuberculosis. We aimed to establish the yield of pre-entry screening programmes to inform evidence-based policy for migrant health screening.
Methods:
We searched six bibliographic databases for experimental or observational studies and systematic reviews, which reported data on migrant screening for active or latent tuberculosis by any method before migration to a low-incidence country. Primary outcomes were principal reported screening yield of active tuberculosis, yield of culture-confirmed cases, and yield of sputum smear for acid-fast bacilli cases. Where appropriate, fixed-effects models were used to summarise the yield of pre-entry screening across included studies.
Findings:
We identified 15 unique studies with data for 3 739 266 migrants screened pre-entry for tuberculosis between 1982 and 2010. Heterogeneity was high for all primary outcomes. After stratification by prevalence in country of origin, heterogeneity was reduced for culture-confirmed and smear-confirmed cases. Yield of culture-confirmed cases increased with prevalence in the country of origin, and summary estimates ranged from 19·7 (95% CI 10·3-31·5) cases identified per 100 000 individuals screened in countries with a prevalence of 50-149 cases per 100 000 population to 335·9 (283·0-393·2) per 100 000 in countries with a prevalence of greater than 350 per 100 000 population.
Interpretation:
Targeting high-prevalence countries could result in the highest yield for active disease. Pre-entry screening should be considered as part of a broad package of measures to ensure early diagnosis and effective management of migrants with active tuberculosis, and be integrated with initiatives that address the health needs of migrants.
Funding:
Wellcome Trust, UK National Institute for Health Research, Medical Research Council, Public Health England.
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