Imported tuberculosis: An emerging disease in industrialised coutries

Background: The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of imported tuberculosis (TB) in Barcelona during 1999 and 2000. Material and Method: Epidemiological surveillance questionnaire. Results: During 1999 and 2000, a 7.9% decrease in TB cases was observed among the native population in Barcelona, whereas cases among immigrants grew up to 47.2%. In 2000, 449 TB cases were detected among the native population (incidence, 29.5/100,000) and 121 among immigrants (incidence, 555.9/100,000). Three outbreaks were identified, involving one Indian community (11 cases), two Dominican families (4 cases) and one city school (2 cases) whose index case was a cooperant. Isolated strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis at the first, second and third outbreak were multisensitive, multidrug-resistant and isoniazid-resistant, respectively. Conclusions: The emergence of imported TB cases in Barcelona over 1999 and 2000 suggests that current preventive guidelines must be reviewed.