SynthesisPloS one2015
Comparative meta-analysis of tuberculosis contact investigation interventions in eleven high burden countries.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
55 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Transmission Dynamics in Tuberculosis Patients With Human Immunodeficiency Virus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of 32 Observational Studies.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2021Pooled it
- Transmission of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Households and the Community: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.American journal of epidemiology · 2017Pooled it
- Machine learning approaches to predict the risk of tuberculosis among household contacts of index TB patients in Central Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Exploring transmission dynamics in epidemiologically linked pulmonary tuberculosis cases and household contacts: a WGS-based investigation.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- Community-Based Tuberculosis Preventive Treatment Among Child and Adolescent Household Contacts in Ethiopia.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2025Article
- Engaging private providers to enhance tuberculosis detection and notification: evidence from TB REACH-Supported projects.BMC public health · 2025Article
- The yield of tuberculosis contact investigation in São Paulo, Brazil: a community-based cross-sectional study.Epidemiology and infection · 2025Article
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- Is household contact investigation a missing link for tuberculosis care in Chhattisgarh, India?-Operational research using programmatic data.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Health worker perspectives on barriers and facilitators of tuberculosis investigation coverage among index case contacts in rural Southwestern Uganda: a qualitative study.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Implementing active surveillance for TB: A descriptive survey of healthcare workers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2024Article
- The Impact of Preventive Treatment for Multidrug- and Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis Exceeds Trial-Based Estimates.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2024Article
- The Infomóvel-An information system for managing HIV/AIDS patients in rural areas of Mozambique.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2023Observational
- A user-centred implementation strategy for tuberculosis contact investigation in Uganda: protocol for a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised trial.BMC public health · 2023Article
- High prevalence of multidrug-resistant TB among household contacts in a high burden setting.The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease · 2023Article
- A user-centred implementation strategy for tuberculosis contact investigation in Uganda: Protocol for a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised trial.Research square · 2023Article
- mHealth to improve implementation of TB contact investigation: a case study from Uganda.Implementation science communications · 2023Article
- The impact of time at home on potential yield of home-based TB contact investigation.The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease · 2023Article
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundScreening of household contacts of tuberculosis (TB) patients is a recommended strategy to improve early case detection. While it has been widely implemented in low prevalence countries, the most optimal protocols for contact investigation in high prevalence, low resource settings is yet to be determined. This study evaluated contact investigation interventions in eleven lower and middle income countries and reviewed the association between context or program-related factors and the yield of cases among contacts.
methodsWe reviewed data from nineteen first wave TB REACH funded projects piloting innovations to improve case detection. These nineteen had fulfilled the eligibility criteria: contact investigation implementation and complete data reporting. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the percentage yield and case notifications for each project. Implementation strategies were delineated and the association between independent variables and yield was analyzed by fitting a random effects logistic regression.
findingsOverall, the nineteen interventions screened 139,052 household contacts, showing great heterogeneity in the percentage yield of microscopy confirmed cases (SS+), ranging from 0.1% to 6.2%). Compared to the most restrictive testing criteria (at least two weeks of cough) the aOR's for lesser (any TB related symptom) and least (all contacts) restrictive testing criteria were 1.71 (95%CI 0.94-3.13) and 6.90 (95% CI 3.42-13.93) respectively. The aOR for inclusion of SS- and extra-pulmonary TB was 0.31 (95% CI 0.15-0.62) compared to restricting index cases to SS+ TB. Contact investigation contributed between <1% and 14% to all SS+ cases diagnosed in the intervention areas.
conclusionsThis study confirms that high numbers of active TB cases can be identified through contact investigation in a variety of contexts. However, design and program implementation factors appear to influence the yield of contact investigation and its concomitant contribution to TB case detection.
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