[A case report of tuberculosis epidemic in a university]

Index case (S.K.) was a postgraduate in one institute of Tohoku University and was diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis by regular health check-up. Examinations of sputa indicated Gaffky 6 on smear and +3 in culture, respectively. Five months after the diagnosis of the index case, a professor (O.K.) who was teaching S.K. in the same institute was diagnosed as tuberculosis by the chest X-ray survey. One month later, another postgraduate (M.J.) studying in other institute was found to affected with tuberculosis by regular health check-up. Since two institutes were distant from each other, it seemed that neither S.K. nor O.K. had an opportunity to contact with M.J. It was revealed, however, that two postgraduates received some lecture in the same classroom twice a week. Considering all these facts, three cases presented here are regarded as tuberculosis outbreak in the university.