TY - JOUR
T1 - Detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Children Migrating to Australia
AU - Laemmle-Ruff, Ingrid
AU - Graham, Stephen M.
AU - Williams, Bridget
AU - Horyniak, Danielle
AU - Majumdar, Suman S.
AU - Paxton, Georgia A.
AU - Soares Caplice, Lila V.
AU - Hellard, Margaret E.
AU - Trauer, James M.
N1 - Funding Information:
I.L.-R. and B.W. were funded through the Australian Government’s Specialist Training Program. D.H. and J.M.T. are supported by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellowships. S.S.M. is a recipient of a NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship. M.E.H. is a recipient of a NHMRC Investigator Fellowship.
Funding Information:
G.A.P. has provided advice to DHA as an independent medical advisor. L.V.S.C. is senior director of the Immigration Health Policy and Assurance Branch, on behalf of the Health Services Division of DHA. M.E.H. has received grants from Gilead Sciences and Abbvie, unrelated to this work.
Funding Information:
We thank the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for their support in providing data and assisting with data interpretation. No specific funding was received for this project. I.L.-R. and B.W. were funded through the Australian Government’s Specialist Training Program. D.H. and J.M.T. are supported by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellowships. S.S.M. is a recipient of a NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship. M.E.H. is a recipient of a NHMRC Investigator Fellowship. G.A.P. has provided advice to DHA as an independent medical advisor. L.V.S.C. is senior director of the Immigration Health Policy and Assurance Branch, on behalf of the Health Services Division of DHA. M.E.H. has received grants from Gilead Sciences and Abbvie, unrelated to this work.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/9
Y1 - 2022/9
N2 - In 2015, Australia updated premigration screening for tuberculosis (TB) disease in children 2–10 years of age to include testing for infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and enable detection of latent TB infection (LTBI). We analyzed TB screening results in children <15 years of age during November 2015–June 2017. We found 45,060 child applicants were tested with interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) (57.7% of tests) or tuberculin skin test (TST) (42.3% of tests). A total of 21 cases of TB were diagnosed: 4 without IGRA or TST, 10 with positive IGRA or TST, and 7 with negative results. LTBI was detected in 3.3% (1,473/44,709) of children, for 30 applicants screened per LTBI case detected. LTBI-associated factors included increasing age, TB contact, origin from a higher TB prevalence region, and testing by TST. Detection of TB and LTBI benefit children, but the updated screening program’s effect on TB in Australia is likely to be limited.
AB - In 2015, Australia updated premigration screening for tuberculosis (TB) disease in children 2–10 years of age to include testing for infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and enable detection of latent TB infection (LTBI). We analyzed TB screening results in children <15 years of age during November 2015–June 2017. We found 45,060 child applicants were tested with interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) (57.7% of tests) or tuberculin skin test (TST) (42.3% of tests). A total of 21 cases of TB were diagnosed: 4 without IGRA or TST, 10 with positive IGRA or TST, and 7 with negative results. LTBI was detected in 3.3% (1,473/44,709) of children, for 30 applicants screened per LTBI case detected. LTBI-associated factors included increasing age, TB contact, origin from a higher TB prevalence region, and testing by TST. Detection of TB and LTBI benefit children, but the updated screening program’s effect on TB in Australia is likely to be limited.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136221413&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3201/eid2809.212426
DO - 10.3201/eid2809.212426
M3 - Article
C2 - 35997353
AN - SCOPUS:85136221413
VL - 28
SP - 1833
EP - 1841
JO - Emerging Infectious Diseases
JF - Emerging Infectious Diseases
SN - 1080-6040
IS - 9
ER -
