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Prospective genomic surveillance meets tuberculosis infection prevention: A case study and discussion
Rekha Pai Mangalore1, Jeremy Katanas2, Sue Mclellan3
1Department of Infectious Diseases, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne and School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia; Infection Prevention and Healthcare Epidemiology Unit, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.
Background:
Suspected healthcare-associated tuberculosis (TB) transmission requires careful investigation due to its implications for infection prevention and public health.
Case Report:
We describe a suspected nosocomial TB transmission event that was investigated using whole genome sequencing (WGS). An 83-year-old man with an unexpected diagnosis of pleural TB and suspected pulmonary TB had shared a hospital room with a 52-year-old man undergoing investigation for metastatic lung cancer. The contact later developed pulmonary TB after commencing immunotherapy for pulmonary adenocarcinoma, raising concern for hospital transmission.
Conclusions:
WGS demonstrated that the isolates belonged to different genomic lineages, excluding transmission. This case highlights the value of genomic surveillance in clarifying TB transmission events and guiding infection prevention responses.
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