Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31221810›Full record

SynthesisThe European respiratory journal2019

The global prevalence of latent tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Adam Cohen, Victor Dahl Mathiasen, Thomas Schön, Christian Wejse

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in The European respiratory journal, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 291 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
291citing papers in PubMed, 12 pooled it
34.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

291 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 530 citations in OpenAlex.

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  14. Breaking barriers: Implementation of a tuberculosis preventive treatment protocol among newly eligible populations with promising results.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2026
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231 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.

Adam CohenDept of Pathology, St Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.ORCID 0000-0001-6828-6015
Victor Dahl MathiasenInternational Reference Laboratory of Mycobacteriology, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0003-2965-6348
Thomas SchönDivision of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Dept of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Christian WejseDept of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark wejse@dadlnet.dk.
Bandim Health Project · GWLinköping University · SEStatens Serum Institut · DKSt Olav's University Hospital · NO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that one-third of the world's population had latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), which was recently updated to one-fourth. However, this is still based on controversial assumptions in combination with tuberculin skin test (TST) surveys. Interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) with a higher specificity than TST have since been widely implemented, but never used to estimate the global LTBI prevalence.We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of LTBI estimates based on both IGRA and TST results published between 2005 and 2018. Regional and global estimates of LTBI prevalence were calculated. Stratification was performed for low, intermediate and high TB incidence countries and a pooled estimate for each area was calculated using a random effects model.Among 3280 studies screened, we included 88 studies from 36 countries with 41 IGRA (n=67 167) and 67 TST estimates (n=284 644). The global prevalence of LTBI was 24.8% (95% CI 19.7-30.0%) and 21.2% (95% CI 17.9-24.4%), based on IGRA and a 10-mm TST cut-off, respectively. The prevalence estimates correlated well to WHO incidence rates (Rs=0.70, p<0.001).In the first study of the global prevalence of LTBI derived from both IGRA and TST surveys, we found that one-fourth of the world's population is infected. This is of relevance, as both tests, although imperfect, are used to identify individuals eligible for preventive therapy. Enhanced efforts are needed targeting the large pool of latently infected individuals, as this constitutes an enormous source of potential active tuberculosis.

Indexed as

Interferon-gamma Release TestsTuberculin TestAlgorithmsCommunicable Disease ControlGlobal HealthHumansIncidenceLatent TuberculosisPrevalenceWorld Health Organization

Identifiers

PMID31221810
OpenAlexW2950875755

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.