Understanding tuberculosis transmission and progression: A prospective cohort study of index cases and close contacts in Moldova.

<h4>Objectives</h4>This study aims to determine the progression rate, risk factors and timeline for the progression from exposure to active tuberculosis (TB) in a high-risk population. Using a prospective cohort in the Republic of Moldova, we investigated pulmonary TB disease progression...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rehan R Syed, Donald G Catanzaro, Naomi Hillery, Valeriu Crudu, Elena Tudor, Nelly Ciobanu, Alexandru Codreanu, Maryam Kheirandish Borujeni, Antonino Catanzaro, Timothy C Rodwell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2024-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0313270&type=printable
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841555390655889408
author Rehan R Syed
Donald G Catanzaro
Naomi Hillery
Valeriu Crudu
Elena Tudor
Nelly Ciobanu
Alexandru Codreanu
Maryam Kheirandish Borujeni
Antonino Catanzaro
Timothy C Rodwell
author_facet Rehan R Syed
Donald G Catanzaro
Naomi Hillery
Valeriu Crudu
Elena Tudor
Nelly Ciobanu
Alexandru Codreanu
Maryam Kheirandish Borujeni
Antonino Catanzaro
Timothy C Rodwell
author_sort Rehan R Syed
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Objectives</h4>This study aims to determine the progression rate, risk factors and timeline for the progression from exposure to active tuberculosis (TB) in a high-risk population. Using a prospective cohort in the Republic of Moldova, we investigated pulmonary TB disease progression among close contacts of patients with TB in a low-burden country with high rates of drug-resistant TB.<h4>Methods</h4>Close contacts of patients with newly diagnosed TB were recruited and monitored to evaluate for progression rates to active TB. Data collected included demographic information, medical and exposure history, and clinical samples. Follow-up clinical evaluations of close contacts were conducted at regular intervals over at least 24 months to monitor for progression to TB disease.<h4>Results</h4>The overall incidence rate of TB disease among close contacts was 3.7%. Among the close contacts, 2.3% were identified as progressor cases, developing TB disease more than 30 days after index case treatment initiation. Thirteen (1.3%) were co-prevalent cases, diagnosed within 30 days of index case treatment initiation. Identified risk factors for progression included male sex, active tobacco use, prior TB infection, and frequent, prolonged exposure to index cases. Close contacts with daily exposure of more than eight hours had a significantly higher risk of disease progression (adjusted OR: 4.28, 95% CI: 1.79-10.23).<h4>Conclusion</h4>The incidence of TB disease among close contacts was consistent with global findings, highlighting the need for enhanced diagnostic tools and targeted interventions to manage TB transmission and progression. These results underscore the importance of contact tracing and progression monitoring in low-burden, high drug-resistant TB settings. Future research should focus on developing a better understanding of factors contributing to the risk for and timeline of TB disease progression, and more precise methods, including biomarkers, to identify individuals at the highest risk for progression from TB exposure to active disease.
format Article
id doaj-art-6ebd69a507e94df8bf304bd89f0987da
institution Kabale University
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-6ebd69a507e94df8bf304bd89f0987da2025-01-08T05:33:29ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-011912e031327010.1371/journal.pone.0313270Understanding tuberculosis transmission and progression: A prospective cohort study of index cases and close contacts in Moldova.Rehan R SyedDonald G CatanzaroNaomi HilleryValeriu CruduElena TudorNelly CiobanuAlexandru CodreanuMaryam Kheirandish BorujeniAntonino CatanzaroTimothy C Rodwell<h4>Objectives</h4>This study aims to determine the progression rate, risk factors and timeline for the progression from exposure to active tuberculosis (TB) in a high-risk population. Using a prospective cohort in the Republic of Moldova, we investigated pulmonary TB disease progression among close contacts of patients with TB in a low-burden country with high rates of drug-resistant TB.<h4>Methods</h4>Close contacts of patients with newly diagnosed TB were recruited and monitored to evaluate for progression rates to active TB. Data collected included demographic information, medical and exposure history, and clinical samples. Follow-up clinical evaluations of close contacts were conducted at regular intervals over at least 24 months to monitor for progression to TB disease.<h4>Results</h4>The overall incidence rate of TB disease among close contacts was 3.7%. Among the close contacts, 2.3% were identified as progressor cases, developing TB disease more than 30 days after index case treatment initiation. Thirteen (1.3%) were co-prevalent cases, diagnosed within 30 days of index case treatment initiation. Identified risk factors for progression included male sex, active tobacco use, prior TB infection, and frequent, prolonged exposure to index cases. Close contacts with daily exposure of more than eight hours had a significantly higher risk of disease progression (adjusted OR: 4.28, 95% CI: 1.79-10.23).<h4>Conclusion</h4>The incidence of TB disease among close contacts was consistent with global findings, highlighting the need for enhanced diagnostic tools and targeted interventions to manage TB transmission and progression. These results underscore the importance of contact tracing and progression monitoring in low-burden, high drug-resistant TB settings. Future research should focus on developing a better understanding of factors contributing to the risk for and timeline of TB disease progression, and more precise methods, including biomarkers, to identify individuals at the highest risk for progression from TB exposure to active disease.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0313270&type=printable
spellingShingle Rehan R Syed
Donald G Catanzaro
Naomi Hillery
Valeriu Crudu
Elena Tudor
Nelly Ciobanu
Alexandru Codreanu
Maryam Kheirandish Borujeni
Antonino Catanzaro
Timothy C Rodwell
Understanding tuberculosis transmission and progression: A prospective cohort study of index cases and close contacts in Moldova.
PLoS ONE
title Understanding tuberculosis transmission and progression: A prospective cohort study of index cases and close contacts in Moldova.
title_full Understanding tuberculosis transmission and progression: A prospective cohort study of index cases and close contacts in Moldova.
title_fullStr Understanding tuberculosis transmission and progression: A prospective cohort study of index cases and close contacts in Moldova.
title_full_unstemmed Understanding tuberculosis transmission and progression: A prospective cohort study of index cases and close contacts in Moldova.
title_short Understanding tuberculosis transmission and progression: A prospective cohort study of index cases and close contacts in Moldova.
title_sort understanding tuberculosis transmission and progression a prospective cohort study of index cases and close contacts in moldova
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0313270&type=printable
work_keys_str_mv AT rehanrsyed understandingtuberculosistransmissionandprogressionaprospectivecohortstudyofindexcasesandclosecontactsinmoldova
AT donaldgcatanzaro understandingtuberculosistransmissionandprogressionaprospectivecohortstudyofindexcasesandclosecontactsinmoldova
AT naomihillery understandingtuberculosistransmissionandprogressionaprospectivecohortstudyofindexcasesandclosecontactsinmoldova
AT valeriucrudu understandingtuberculosistransmissionandprogressionaprospectivecohortstudyofindexcasesandclosecontactsinmoldova
AT elenatudor understandingtuberculosistransmissionandprogressionaprospectivecohortstudyofindexcasesandclosecontactsinmoldova
AT nellyciobanu understandingtuberculosistransmissionandprogressionaprospectivecohortstudyofindexcasesandclosecontactsinmoldova
AT alexandrucodreanu understandingtuberculosistransmissionandprogressionaprospectivecohortstudyofindexcasesandclosecontactsinmoldova
AT maryamkheirandishborujeni understandingtuberculosistransmissionandprogressionaprospectivecohortstudyofindexcasesandclosecontactsinmoldova
AT antoninocatanzaro understandingtuberculosistransmissionandprogressionaprospectivecohortstudyofindexcasesandclosecontactsinmoldova
AT timothycrodwell understandingtuberculosistransmissionandprogressionaprospectivecohortstudyofindexcasesandclosecontactsinmoldova