Pitfalls in contact tracing and early diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis

摘要

The incidence of tuberculosis in Western countries has steadily declined, but this trend is reversing. Effective contact tracing and screening remain essential to prevent secondary cases and are especially important for child contacts, given their greater susceptibility to disseminated disease and the difficulty in diagnosis in this age group. We describe three cases of serious tuberculous disease in children that illustrate their vulnerability to this infection and the problems that can be encountered with apparently straightforward contact tracing procedures.