TY - JOUR AU - Kong, Po-Marn AU - Tapy, Jan AU - Calixto, Patricia AU - Burman, William J. AU - Reves, Randall R. AU - Yang, Zhenhua AU - Cave, M. Donald T1 - Skin-Test Screening and Tuberculosis Transmission among the Homeless T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2002 VL - 8 IS - 11 SP - 1280 SN - 1080-6059 AB - We describe the implementation of a mandatory tuberculosis (TB) screening program that uses symptom screening and tuberculin skin testing in homeless shelters. We used the results of DNA fingerprinting of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates to evaluate the effect of the program on TB incidence and transmission. After the program was implemented, the proportion of cases among homeless persons detected by screening activities increased, and the estimated TB incidence decreased from 510 to 121 cases per 100,000 population per year. Recent transmission, defined by DNA fingerprinting analysis as clustered patterns occurring within 2 years, decreased from 49% to 14% (p=0.03). Our results suggest that the shelter-based screening program decreased the incidence of TB by decreasing its transmission among the homeless. KW - homelessness KW - tuberculosis KW - tuberculin skin testing KW - DNA fingerprinting KW - United States DO - 10.3201/eid0811.020306 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/8/11/02-0306_article ER - End of Reference