Prevalence of tuberculin reactivity among healthcare workers from a Mexican hospital.

The prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) infection in healthcare workers (HCWs) is completely unknown in Mexico. To evaluate the frequency of TB infection in our hospital, we performed a prevalence study of tuberculin reactivity among a random sample of asymptomatic HCWs. Our results showed an extremely high prevalence of PPD reactivity (70%) among 175 HCWs, probably related to the high incidence of active TB in the general population and to the absence of preventive programs.