Screening for tuberculosis among homeless shelter staff

Am J Infect Control. 2012 Jun;40(5):459-61. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2011.07.002. Epub 2011 Sep 29.

Abstract

The prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) among homeless shelter staff was assessed using the tuberculin skin test (TST) and the Quantiferon TB-Gold in tube interferon-γ release assay (QFT-TB). Investigation of 51 participants for whom both QFT-TB and TST results were available showed 47.1% and 43.1% positivity, respectively, with excellent (92%) concordance between the 2 tests. The high risk for acquiring occupational TB necessitates the development of TB surveillance protocols for homeless shelter staff in Italy.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Emergency Shelter*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Ill-Housed Persons
  • Interferon-gamma Release Tests
  • Italy / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Mass Screening
  • Middle Aged
  • Occupational Exposure*
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Assessment
  • Tuberculin Test
  • Tuberculosis / epidemiology*
  • Workforce