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Updated: Nov 30, 2025

Analysis of 18FDG PET/CT Imaging as a Tool for Studying Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and Treatment in Non-human Primates
Published on: September 5, 2017
Latent tuberculosis in migrants travelling through the northeast regions of Mexico
Obed Medina-Macías1, Philippe Stoesslé2, Leonardo E Perales-Rendón3
1División de Ciencias de La Salud, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico.
Background:
Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) affects nearly a quarter of the global population. Public health interventions aimed at interrupting tuberculosis transmission do not routinely include systematic screening of migrant populations for LTBI in Mexico, nor other high-income countries. However, early detection and treatment of LTBI in immigrant populations from high-burden countries are recommended by the World Health Organization.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of migrants with LTBI in shelters in northeastern Mexico.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, blood samples were obtained from 455 migrants living in shelters in northeastern Mexico during January 2017 to October 2019. LTBI was diagnosed using the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus test.
Results:
Most of the migrants evaluated in this study were from Honduras; ∼86% were male; the average age was 29 ± 10 years. LTBI was identified in 18.4% of those from Central America. Migrants from El Salvador and Nicaragua were more likely to have LTBI than those from Honduras or Guatemala. Overweight or obese persons and older persons had a higher prevalence of LTBI. We detected no significant differences with respect to LTBI when the results were compared based on gender, education, or marital status.
Conclusion:
The LTBI rates amongst migrants from Central America recently screened in shelters in northeastern Mexico appears to be relatively low given recent estimates of LTBI prevalence in Mexico.
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