PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - D Braganza Menezes
AU  - T Marshall
AU  - E Tranos
AU  - H Kaur
AU  - E Robinson
AU  - G Smith
AU  - M Dedicoat
TI  - A summary of contact tracing incident investigation outcomes in congregate settings from a large UK city over a 7-year period
AID  - 10.1183/13993003.congress-2022.4188
DP  - 2022 Sep 04
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 4188
VI  - 60
IP  - suppl 66
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/60/suppl_66/4188.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/60/suppl_66/4188.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2022 Sep 04; 60
AB  - Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) is a respiratory droplet spread bacterial disease. Exposure can result in a latent state with subsequent active infection. Contact tracing aims to identify these infected contacts. The outcomes of contact investigations following incidents in congregate settings are described for a large UK city over a 7-year period.Methods: Utilising public health data from a large UK ethnically diverse urban population as part of active case investigations in non-household settings, we describe the outcomes of large scale contact tracing investigations.Results: Over 7 years, 167 incidents were investigated generating 8091 contacts. 112 settings were involved demonstrating recurrent events due to non-identified tracing opportunities in 45 settings. Nearly half of index cases were from the UK (49.7%). Casual contacts demonstrated active disease in 26.8% of cases, more than close contacts (19.5%) in congregate settings. 3.6% had multidrug resistant TB and 30.8% were smear negative, smear positive status generating 5 times more disease detected in contacts.Conclusion: Conventional contact tracing approaches in congregate settings generate large contact groups with low disease detection. A more nuanced approach that identifies relationships and exposures might help to improve the efficiency of contact tracing.FootnotesCite this article as Eur Respir J 2022; 60: Suppl. 66, 4188.This article was presented at the 2022 ERS International Congress, in session “-”.This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).