Predictive factors for latent tuberculosis infection among adolescents in a high-burden area in South Africa

SETTING: A high tuberculosis (TB) burden area in South Africa (notification rate for all TB cases 1400 per 100 000 population). OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of and predictive factors associated with latent TB infection in adolescents. DESIGN: Adolescents aged 12―18 years were recruited from high schools, clinical and demographic data were collected, and a tuberculin skin test (TST) and a Quanti-FERON ® -TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) assay performed. RESULTS: A total of 6363 (58.2%) of 10942 adolescents at the schools were enrolled. After exclusions, of 5244 participants, 55.2% (95%CI 53.8―56.5) had TST≥ 5 mm, while 50.9% (49.5―52.2) were QFT-positive. On multivariate analysis, Black/mixed race racial groups, male sex, older age, household TB contact, low income and low education level were predictive factors for both TST- and QFT-positive results. CONCLUSION: About half of the adolescents were found to be latently infected with TB in a high TB burden area with demographic and poverty-related socio-economic factors predicting the risk of TB infection. Adolescents from deprived communities should be considered an important target group for educational interventions by TB control programmes in high-burden settings.