Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Cases Reported to the National Tuberculosis Surveillance System, United States, 2004-2015

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Cases Reported to the National Tuberculosis Surveillance System, United States, 2004-2015 EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES Wansaula, Z., Wortham, J. M., Mindra, G., Haddad, M. B., Salinas, J. L., Ashkin, D., Morris, S. B., Grant, G. B., Ghosh, S., Langer, A. J. 2019; 25 (3): 451-456

Abstract

Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is used as a vaccine to protect against disseminated tuberculosis (TB) and as a treatment for bladder cancer. We describe characteristics of US TB patients reported to the National Tuberculosis Surveillance System (NTSS) whose disease was attributed to BCG. We identified 118 BCG cases and 91,065 TB cases reported to NTSS during 2004-2015. Most patients with BCG were US-born (86%), older (median age 75 years), and non-Hispanic white (81%). Only 17% of BCG cases had pulmonary involvement, in contrast with 84% of TB cases. Epidemiologic features of BCG cases differed from TB cases. Clinicians can use clinical history to discern probable BCG cases from TB cases, enabling optimal clinical management. Public health agencies can use this information to quickly identify probable BCG cases to avoid inappropriately reporting BCG cases to NTSS or expending resources on unnecessary public health interventions.

View details for DOI 10.3201/eid2503.180686

View details for Web of Science ID 000459021000007

View details for PubMedID 30789145

View details for PubMedCentralID PMC6390767