Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2026
Sequencing of Bacterial Microflora in Peripheral Blood: our Experience with HIV-infected Patients
Published on: June 11, 2011
Rates of tuberculosis infection in healthcare workers providing services to HIV-infected populations. Terry Beirn
K Zahnow1, J P Matts, D Hillman
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC 20422, USA.
Objective:
To assess the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) or a positive skin test in healthcare workers (HCWs) providing services to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals and to determine prospectively the incidence of new infections in this population.
Design:
This prospective cohort study enrolled 1,014 HCWs working with HIV-infected populations from 10 metropolitan areas. Purified protein derivative (PPD) tuberculin skin tests were placed at baseline and every 6 months afterwards on those without a history of TB or a positive PPD. Demographic, occupational, and TB exposure data also were collected.
Setting:
Outpatient clinics, hospitals, private practice offices, and drug treatment programs providing HIV-related healthcare and research programs.
Participants:
A voluntary sample of staff and volunteers from 16 Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS units.
Results:
Factors related to prior TB or a positive skin test at baseline included being foreign-born, increased length of time in health care, living in New York City, or previous bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccination. The rate of PPD conversion was 1.8 per 100 person years of follow-up. No independent relation was found between the amount or type of contact with HIV-infected populations and the risk of TB infection.
Conclusion:
These data provide some reassurance that caring for HIV-infected patients is not related to an increased rate of TB infection among HCWs in these settings.
More Related Videos
10:04Analysis of 18FDG PET/CT Imaging as a Tool for Studying Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection and Treatment in Non-human Primates
Published on: September 5, 2017
09:34An Automated Culture System for Use in Preclinical Testing of Host-Directed Therapies for Tuberculosis
Published on: August 16, 2021
Related Concept Videos
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
01:29Pulmonary Tuberculosis I
Causative Organism
The primary infectious agent causing tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing, acid-fast, aerobic rod that exhibits sensitivity to heat and ultraviolet light. Instances of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium contributing to the development of TB infection are rare.
Mode of...
01:26Pulmonary Tuberculosis IV
Several diagnostic approaches are used to detect TB. The conventional method is the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST), also known as the Mantoux test. However, this method has...
01:28Pulmonary Tuberculosis V
Latent tuberculosis infection occurs when TB bacteria are present in a person's body, but are not causing illness or symptoms. It is not contagious, and preventive treatment is crucial to avoid the progression...
01:23Tuberculosis