Table 5.
Overview of outbreak investigations.
| Study | Country | Disease | Population | Cases that triggered a response | Focus of the paper |
| Valway et al [58] | United States (New York) | MDR-TBa | Inmates from a prison in Upstate New York | 4 inmates from one prison were diagnosed in the summer of 1991 | Transmission patterns and contact investigation results |
| Ridzon et al [59] | United States (California) | DR-TBb | California high-school students | 4 students were diagnosed in spring 1993 | Findings from an outbreak investigation |
| Breathnach et al [60] | United Kingdom (London) | MDR-TB | Patients who were HIV positive at St Thomas’ Hospital in London | 8 patients were identified between 1995 and 1997 | Epidemiology and control of the hospital outbreak |
| Holdsworth et al [61] | United Kingdom (London) | MDR-TB | Nosocomial outbreak at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHSc Trust | 8 patients were identified in the summer of 1996 | Management of public relations following the outbreak |
| Moro et al [62] | Italy | MDR-TB | Patients infected by HIV and hospitalized in an HIV ward in Milan, Italy | 33 patients were diagnosed between October 1992 and February 1994 | Risk factors for transmission and the effectiveness of infection control measures |
| Schmid et al [63] | Austria | MDR-TB | Refugees in Austria | In 2005-2006 the Austrian laboratory for TBd identified 4 MDR-TB cases with similar genotypes | The chain of transmission |
| Asghar et al [64] | United States (Florida) | Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to isoniazid | HIV-positive, rock cocaine (crack) users who lived in low-income neighborhoods in Miami | 18 cases with matching spoligotypes were identified between January 2004 and May 2005 | Transmission patterns and recommendations for TB control in this population |
| Fred et al [65] | Federated States of Micronesia | MDR-TB | Cluster of patients with MDR-TB in Chuuk State | A cluster of 5 patients were identified in May 2008 | Contact tracing and control measures |
| Chee et al [66] | Singapore | MDR-TB | LANe gaming centers | In 2012, 5 men who attended 2 LAN gaming centers were diagnosed with MDR-TB | Highlights gaming centers as potential hotspots for TB transmission and notes challenges when conducting contact-tracing investigations |
| Norheim et al [67] | Norway | Streptomycin resistant TB | Students attending training sessions at an educational institution in Oslo, Norway | 3 students were identified within one week in April 2013 | Transmission patterns linking data from contact tracing to data from WGSf |
| Ho et al [68] | Singapore | MDR-TB | Residents of an 11-storey apartment block | 6 residents were identified between February 2012 and May 2016 | The cluster investigation and results from mass screening |
| Popovici et al [69] | Romania | XDR-TBg | Foreign medical students at a Romanian university | A cluster of 3 patients was identified in October 2015 | Results from contact investigation and the efforts to identify the source case |
| Zhang et al [70] | China | MDR-TB | School in Zhejiang Province | A student was diagnosed in May 2014 | Results from classmate contact investigation |
| Li et al [71] | China | MDR-TB | Senior high school | A female student diagnosed in March 2020 | Results from household, classmate, and faculty investigations |
| Kobayashi et al [72] | Japan | MDR-TB | Japanese language school in Tokyo | A student was diagnosed in September 2019 | Results from analysis of outbreak cases |
| Wu et al [73] | China | RR-TBh | Middle school in Jiangsu Province | Unclear. 12 patients were diagnosed with TB of whom 6 were RR-TB. | Describe characteristics and epidemiology of outbreak and suggestions for prevention and control of school TB |
| Groenweghe et al [74] | United States (Kansas) | MDR-TB | Households from the same apartment complex and their contacts | The first person identified was an infant hospitalized in November 2021. An investigation identified 4 additional household members with MDR-TB. | Public Health Response and results from contact investigations |
aMDR-TB: multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
bDR-TB: drug-resistant tuberculosis.
cNHS: National Health Services.
dTB: tuberculosis.
eLAN: local area network.
fWGS: whole-genome sequencing.
gXDR-TB: extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.
hRR-TB: rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis.