Emerging Infectious Diseases (Mar 2015)

Prisons as Reservoir for Community Transmission of Tuberculosis, Brazil

  • Flávia P.C. Sacchi,
  • Renata M. Praça,
  • Mariana B. Tatara,
  • Vera Simonsen,
  • Lucilaine Ferrazoli,
  • Mariana G. Croda,
  • Philip N. Suffys,
  • Albert I. Ko,
  • Jason R. Andrews,
  • Julio Croda

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2103.140896
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 21, no. 3
pp. 452 – 455

Abstract

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We conducted a population-based study of tuberculosis (TB) cases in Dourados, Brazil, to assess the relationship between incarceration and TB in the general population. Incarceration was associated with TB in an urban population; 54% of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains were related to strains from persons in prisons. TB control in prisons is critical for reducing disease prevalence.

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