Tuberculosis outbreaks in prison housing units for HIV-infected inmates--California, 1995-1996

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1999 Feb 5;48(4):79-82.

Abstract

During 1995-1996, staff from the California departments of corrections and health services and local health departments investigated two outbreaks of drug-susceptible tuberculosis (TB). The outbreaks occurred in two state correctional institutions with dedicated HIV housing units. In each outbreak, all cases were linked by IS6110-based DNA fingerprinting of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates. This report describes the investigations of both outbreaks; the findings indicated that M. tuberculosis can spread rapidly among HIV-infected inmates and be transmitted to their visitors and prison employees, with secondary spread to the community.

MeSH terms

  • California / epidemiology
  • Contact Tracing
  • DNA Fingerprinting
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / complications
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / genetics*
  • Prisons / statistics & numerical data*
  • Tuberculosis / complications
  • Tuberculosis / epidemiology*