Pilot study to identify missed opportunities for prevention of childhood tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) in exposed children can be prevented with timely contact tracing and preventive treatment. This study aimed to identify potential barriers and delays in the prevention of childhood TB in a low-incidence country by assessing the management of children subsequently diagnosed with TB. A pilot retrospective cohort study included children (< 15 years) treated for TB between 2009 and 2016 at a tertiary care hospital in Berlin, Germany. Clinical data on cases and source cases, information on time points of the diagnostic work up, and preventive measures were collected and analyzed. Forty-eight children (median age 3 years [range 0.25-14]) were included; 36 had been identified through contact tracing, the majority (26; 72.2%) being < 5 years. TB source cases were mostly family members, often with advanced disease. Thirty children (83.3%) did not receive prophylactic or preventive treatment, as TB was already prevalent when first presented. Three cases developed TB despite preventive or prophylactic treatment; in three cases (all < 5 years), recommendations had not been followed. Once TB was diagnosed in source cases, referral, assessment, TB diagnosis, and treatment were initiated in most children in a timely manner with a median duration of 18 days (interquartile range 6-60, range 0-252) between diagnosis of source case and child contact (information available for 35/36; 97.2%). In some cases, notable delays in follow-up occurred.

Prompt diagnosis of adult source cases appears to be the most important challenge for childhood TB prevention. However, improvement is also needed in the management of exposed children.

• Following infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, young children have a high risk of progression to active and severe forms of tuberculosis (TB). • The risk of infection and disease progression can be minimized by prompt identification of TB-exposed individuals and initiation of prophylactic or preventive treatment.

• We could show that there are avoidable time lags in diagnosis in a relevant proportion of children with known TB exposure. • Delayed diagnosis of adult source cases, losses in follow-up examinations, and delay in referral to a specialized TB clinic of TB-exposed children, especially among foreign-born children, appear to be the main issue in this German pediatric study cohort.