Tuberculosis Transmission by Patients with Smear-Negative Pulmonary Tuberculosis in a Large Cohort in The Netherlands

Background . Sputum smear microscopy is commonly used for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB). Although patients with sputum smear–negative TB are less infectious than patients with smear-positive TB, they also contribute to TB transmission. The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of TB transmission events caused by patients with smear-negative pulmonary TB in The Netherlands. Methods . All patients in The Netherlands with culture-confirmed TB during the period 1996–2004 were included in this study. Patients with identical DNA fingerprints in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates fr... Mehr ...