Most foreign-born TB is reactivation
A study of foreign-born people in New York City and one of Mexicans in San Francisco found that in the vast majority of those who developed tuberculosis, the cause was reactivation of a previous infection.
A retrospective multicenter study of 158 foreign-born patients compared with 231 U.S.-born patients diagnosed with TB between 1992 and 1994 found that only 16% of foreign-born patients had DNA fingerprint patterns associated with primary infection compared with 42% for U.S.-born patients. Foreign-born patients were more likely to have cluster-pattern strains as they lived longer in this country and were homeless, according to the study, which was published in the December issue of International Journal of Tubercule and Lung Disease.
A study of Mexican-born people living in San Francisco, published in the same journal, found that of the 43 patients studied, nine or 21% were considered infected from tuberculosis acquired in the city. Of those cases, only one case led to transmission to U.S.-born people.
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