TB-CRE Investigators report the effects of exposure to TB in individuals with and without previous BCG vaccination.
Children who are exposed to the organism that causes TB have an increased risk of TB disease as they reach the age of adolescence and beyond. Exposed adults who have been BCG-vaccinated appears to have a higher risk of TB disease reactivation than those who were not vaccinated.
High rates of late reactivation among infected children as they reached adolescence imply that children should be strongly considered for preventive interventions even after their initial high-risk period has elapsed. BCG seems to have an important effect on TB epidemiology in preventing early activation but increasing rates of late reactivation in adults.
Melsew YA, Cheng AC, McBryde ES, Denholm JT, Tay E, Ragonnet R, Trauer JM. European Respiratory Journal 2019; DOI: 10.1183/13993003.00353-2019
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