The transmission of tuberculosis in the light of new molecular biological approaches
- 1Institute of Occupational Medicine, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
- 2Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services, Germany
- 3School of Public Health, Heinrich Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Correspondence to: Dr A Seidler Institut für Arbeitsmedizin, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60590 Frankfurt/Main, Germany; A.Seidlerem.uni-frankfurt.de
- Accepted 21 July 2003
Abstract
This review briefly summarises the recent achievements in tuberculosis epidemiology associated with the introduction of molecular methods, and considers the implications of these methods for the understanding of occupational tuberculosis transmission. Special attention is paid to the relative contribution of recently transmitted tuberculosis; risk factors for recent transmission; and the occurrence and frequency of exogenous reinfection. There is a need for occupational epidemiological studies, which should combine the methods of “classical” epidemiology with those of molecular epidemiology.
