A screening study of latent tuberculosis infection in children in a metropolis city

Objective. To carry out a screening study among children and adolescents for tuberculosis infection in the city of Moscow using modern immunodiagnostic methods.

Materials and methods. The results of a mass screening study for tuberculosis prevalence in the pediatric population of a metropolis city were analyzed. The study was conducted during 2019–2021 in Moscow using the Mantoux skin test with 2 TE PPD-L and a skin test with a recombinant tuberculosis allergen (RTA), as well as the indicators of tuberculosis incidence in children.

Results. The introduction of mass screening for tuberculosis based on RTA among the pediatric population and subsequent work with the identified risk groups contributed to a decrease in the number of newly-diagnosed cases. In 2019–2021, the incidence of tuberculosis among children in Moscow did not exceed 3.8 per 100 thousand children aged 0–17 years, with this number varying from 1.2 to 2.1 among permanent residents. The risk indicators of primary infection among children aged 1–7 according to the Mantoux test (0.37% in 2019, 0.47%, in 2020, and 0.35% in 2021) and the prevalence of latent tuberculosis according to the results of screening based on RTA among children aged 8–17 in 2019–2021 (no more than 0.3%) indicate a stable epidemiological situation as regards tuberculosis infection in the city.

Conclusions. The development of an effective monitoring system for preventive tuberculosis screening among urban pediatric populations contributed to the detection of latent tuberculosis cases prior to the development of its local forms. The subsequent implementation of preventive measures in risk groups allowed the incidence of tuberculosis among children to be reduced. 

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