Jo Woori, Pak Chuiyong, Jegal Yangjin, Seo Kwang Won
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Ulsan 44033, South Korea.
World J Clin Cases. 2020 Feb 6;8(3):546-551. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i3.546.
Several studies have demonstrated that airborne transmission of bacteria from patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) to other passengers or crew members can occur during long flights. As such, non-infectious TB patients are usually allowed to undertake air travel after taking the appropriate anti-TB drugs. However, the global guidelines for air travel for patients with TB are inconsistent and insufficiently detailed with respect to cavitary pulmonary TB (CPTB).
Here, we report a case in which a patient with multiple CPTB was permitted air travel, following negative sputum acid-fast bacilli smear tests after administration of proper anti-TB medication. The patient's culture results were pending.
This case revealed that more specific guidelines regulating air travel for patients with CPTB are necessary.
多项研究表明，活动性肺结核（TB）患者的细菌在长途飞行过程中可通过空气传播给其他乘客或机组人员。因此，非传染性肺结核患者在服用适当的抗结核药物后通常被允许乘坐飞机旅行。然而，全球关于肺结核患者航空旅行的指南并不一致，对于空洞型肺结核（CPTB）的规定不够详细。
在此，我们报告一例多重CPTB患者的病例，该患者在服用适当的抗结核药物后痰涂片抗酸杆菌检测呈阴性，随后被允许乘坐飞机旅行。患者的培养结果待定。
该病例表明，有必要制定更具体的CPTB患者航空旅行管理指南。
