TB transmission on public transportation: a review of published studies and recommendations for contact tracing.

SETTING

The risk of transmission when persons with active tuberculosis travel on buses or trains is uncertain and no recommendations have been published for contact investigations on these conveyances.

DESIGN

We conducted a systematic review of the published studies of tuberculosis transmission among bus or train travelers.

RESULTS

Twelve published reports were identified, including one retrospective cohort study and eleven contact investigations. One contact investigation involved train travelers and one involved students on a 6 h bus excursion. The remaining nine involved exposures on school buses or in commuter vans. In eight reports, evidence of tuberculosis infection was found in 8.7%-55% of those tested; six of these studies reported identifying 1-24 cases of active tuberculosis.

CONCLUSIONS

These reports support the need to be alert to the possibility of tuberculosis transmission on buses or trains. However, they do not offer the quantitative estimate of risk needed for defining policy regarding contact tracing for persons exposed on buses or trains. Decisions to carry out contact investigations should take into account the proximity to the index case, duration of exposure, and other risk factors that may affect the infectiousness of the case or the susceptibility of the contact. Additional reports taking these factors into consideration would help clarify the risk of tuberculosis transmission on public transport.