Prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis among students in three eastern Ethiopian universities

Three universities located in eastern Ethiopia: Haramaya University, Haramaya; Dire-Dawa University, Dire-Dawa; and Jigjiga University, Jigjiga.

To determine the burden of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among university students and to identify risk factors for the development of TB disease.

All full-time university students were screened for symptoms of PTB and sputum was collected for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) examination and culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Of 35 344 students screened, we identified 153 PTB cases that occurred over the 1-year study period, or 433/100 000 students. Of these, 117 (76%) PTB cases were found through passive case finding at student health centres, while 36 (24%) previously undiagnosed patients were identified through active case finding. Sixteen cases detected using active case finding (44%) were smear-positive. Living in a dormitory with 5 students and attending university for 2 years were both significantly associated with PTB (adjusted OR 2.49 and 3.79, respectively, P < 0.001). In persons who underwent drug susceptibility testing, 11 (30.5%) had resistance to at least one first-line anti-tuberculosis drug.

We found a high burden of TB among university students in eastern Ethiopia. Screening for PTB upon university admission and at regular intervals should be considered to minimise TB transmission on university campuses.