Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment of U.S. Healthcare Workers

A new evidence-based expert consensus statement updates the 2005 guideline.

Sponsoring Organization: The CDC and the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA)

Target Audience: Occupational health physicians, infectious disease specialists, pulmonology specialists, hospital epidemiologists

Background and Objective

The previous 2005 CDC guideline for preventing Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission (Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2005; 54:RR-17) recommended baseline tuberculosis (TB) testing for all U.S. healthcare workers (HCWs) — using either an interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) or a tuberculin skin test (TST) — and to then have testing repeated annually in facilities that were at medium risk for TB exposure or that had the potential for ongoing transmission. The guideline noted, but did not emphasize, treatmen…

Reviewing Author

Richard T. Ellison III, MD

Disclosures

Consult/Advisory BoardAcurx Pharmaceuticals, LLC;

Grant/Research SupportDoctors Company Foundation, Massachusetts Department of Public Health