Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32218567›Full record

ArticlePLoS computational biology2020

A model of tuberculosis clustering in low incidence countries reveals more transmission in the United Kingdom than the Netherlands between 2010 and 2015.

Ellen Brooks-Pollock, Leon Danon, Hester Korthals Altes, Jennifer A Davidson, Andrew M T Pollock, Dick van Soolingen, Colin Campbell, Maeve K Lalor

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS computational biology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 38% 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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Ellen Brooks-PollockPopulation Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-5984-4932
Leon DanonCollege of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-7076-1871
Hester Korthals AltesCentre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-8274-1627
Jennifer A DavidsonTB Section, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0003-1599-7504
Andrew M T PollockDepartment of Physics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-6737-538X
Dick van SoolingenCentre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
Colin CampbellTB Section, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-6239-3378
Maeve K LalorTB Section, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.
Public Health England · GBNational Institute for Public Health and the Environment · NLRadboud University Nijmegen · NLUniversity of Bristol · GBUniversity of Exeter · GBUniversity of Sheffield · GB

Funding

Department of Health
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health threat in low TB incidence countries, through a combination of reactivated disease and onward transmission. Using surveillance data from the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands (NL), we demonstrate a simple and predictable relationship between the probability of observing a cluster and its size (the number of cases with a single genotype). We demonstrate that the full range of observed cluster sizes can be described using a modified branching process model with the individual reproduction number following a Poisson lognormal distribution. We estimate that, on average, between 2010 and 2015, a TB case generated 0.41 (95% CrI 0.30,0.60) secondary cases in the UK, and 0.24 (0.14,0.48) secondary cases in the NL. A majority of cases did not generate any secondary cases. Recent transmission accounted for 39% (26%,60%) of UK cases and 23%(13%,37%) of NL cases. We predict that reducing UK transmission rates to those observed in the NL would result in 538(266,818) fewer cases annually in the UK. In conclusion, while TB in low incidence countries is strongly associated with reactivated infections, we demonstrate that recent transmission remains sufficient to warrant policies aimed at limiting local TB spread.

Indexed as

Models, BiologicalTuberculosisComputational BiologyEpidemiologyHumansIncidenceMycobacterium tuberculosisNetherlandsUnited Kingdom

Identifiers

PMID32218567
PMCPMC7141699
OpenAlexW3013047200

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.