Tuberculosis

This chapter covers two case studies and scenarios: a case of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in a college student; and a case of laboratory-confirmed Mycobacterium bovis in an adult with inflammatory bowel disease. The pulmonary TB case resulted in a wider investigation and contact tracing as the case attended college while symptomatic. The Mycobacterium bovis resulted in wider workplace and hospital contact tracing through convening an Incident Control Team. Background information on the epidemiology and clinical features of TB and the public health response to TB in educational, healthcare, and occupational settings are discussed. Case definitions, and a detailed risk assessment, with clear description of close contacts, priority groups, and the required public health actions, are described. ‘Top tips’ are given, to provide practical tips for the reader to think through the public health management of TB, and ‘tools of the trade’ list the laboratory and epidemiological components of the investigation.