Stable incidence rates of tuberculosis (TB) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative South African gold miners during a decade of epidemic HIV-associated TB

J Infect Dis. 2003 Oct 15;188(8):1156-63. doi: 10.1086/378519. Epub 2003 Oct 3.

Abstract

During the last decade, annual tuberculosis (TB) case-notification rates increased 4-fold, to >4000 cases/100000 person-years, in the study workforce, among whom prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was 30% in 2000. Three separate cohort studies, totalling 6454 HIV-negative participants, were combined and analyzed for time trends. Observed incidence of TB varied between 962 (1991-1994) and 1589 (1999-2000) cases/100000 person-years (P=.17, test for trend). There was, however, a progressive increase in age, and, for each period, older age was associated with increased incidence rates of TB (P<.001). Having adjusted for age differences, there was no significant association between incidence of TB and calendar period (P=.81, test for trend). Relative to 1991-1994, multivariate-adjusted incidence-rate ratios were 0.94, for 1995-1997, 0.96, for 1998-1999, and 1.05, for 1999-2000. Preventing a secondary epidemic of TB among HIV-negative individuals may be achievable with conventional means, even in settings with a high burden of HIV-associated TB.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / epidemiology*
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Cohort Studies
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Gold
  • HIV Seronegativity*
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mining*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Retrospective Studies
  • South Africa / epidemiology
  • Time Factors
  • Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / epidemiology*

Substances

  • Gold