Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41772981›Full record

ArticleAnnals of medicine2026

Responding to a protracted tuberculosis outbreak: lessons from multiple rounds of investigation in a Chinese boarding school.

Jing Mao, Qingyan Wu, Kunyang Wu, Lina Zhao, Jun Li, Zhili Shan, Lingqiong Mao, Hante Lin, Zhen Zeng, Bin Chen

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Article in Annals of medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Jing MaoDepartment of Tuberculosis and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Control and Prevention, Wenzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Wenzhou Health Supervision Institution), Wenzhou, China.ORCID 0009-0007-4627-7573
Qingyan WuDepartment of Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Yueqing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Yueqing Health Supervision Institution), Wenzhou, China.
Kunyang WuDepartment of Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China.
Lina ZhaoDepartment of Tuberculosis and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Control and Prevention, Wenzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Wenzhou Health Supervision Institution), Wenzhou, China.
Jun LiDepartment of Tuberculosis and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Control and Prevention, Wenzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Wenzhou Health Supervision Institution), Wenzhou, China.
Zhili ShanDepartment of Tuberculosis and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Control and Prevention, Wenzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Wenzhou Health Supervision Institution), Wenzhou, China.
Lingqiong MaoDepartment of Tuberculosis and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Control and Prevention, Wenzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Wenzhou Health Supervision Institution), Wenzhou, China.
Hante LinDepartment of Tuberculosis and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Control and Prevention, Wenzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Wenzhou Health Supervision Institution), Wenzhou, China.
Zhen ZengDepartment of Tuberculosis and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Control and Prevention, Wenzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Wenzhou Health Supervision Institution), Wenzhou, China.
Bin ChenDepartment of Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0002-3761-0465

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study analysed a multi-semester pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cluster outbreak in a Chinese boarding school to provide evidence for future epidemic control.

methodsContacts were screened via symptoms, infection tests and chest radiography. Screening expanded progressively from close contacts to same-floor contacts, then all students and staff. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and bioinformatics analysis was used for lineage classification, transmission clustering (≤12 SNPs defining a cluster) and drug resistance prediction.

resultsFrom 2020 to 2022, 20 students were diagnosed with PTB, half laboratory-confirmed. Most cases clustered in class 16 and were epidemiologically linked to the primary case (case 0), who had household PTB exposure. Case 0 and case 1 had diagnostic delays exceeding 3 and 6 months, respectively. WGS of five isolates (case 1, 3, 4, 9 and 10) collected over three semesters showed all belonged to lineage 2 and differed by ≤12 SNPs, confirming the same transmission chain. The infection rate in class 16 (46.34%) was significantly higher than other case classes (19.05%) and classes without cases (8.27%) (

conclusionsLack of entry health examinations facilitated the outbreak. Delayed diagnosis, incomplete contact screening and absence of preventive treatment led to cross-semester persistence. The infection rate disparity confirms class 16 as the outbreak epicentre. Improving community case management, extending contact follow-up and enhancing cluster outbreak measures are recommended to prevent future outbreaks.

Indexed as

Disease OutbreaksMycobacterium tuberculosisTuberculosis, PulmonaryAdolescentChildChinaContact TracingEast Asian PeopleFemaleHumansMalePolymorphism, Single NucleotideSchoolsStudentsWhole Genome Sequencingcontact screeninginvestgation and controlMulti-semester tuberculosis outbreak

Identifiers

PMID41772981
PMCPMC12958379

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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.