Table.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of tuberculosis outbreak–associated patients (N = 21), rural Arkansas, 2010-2018
| Characteristic | No. (%) of patients |
|---|---|
| Epidemiologic | |
| Confirmed | 18 (86) |
| Probable | 3 (14) |
| Epidemiologic link to county A | 21 (100) |
| Demographic | |
| Female | 13 (62) |
| Median age (IQR), y | 31 (19-38) |
| Patients aged <15 y | 5 (24) |
| US born | 21 (100) |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 21 (100) |
| Social risk | |
| Excess alcohol use | 7 (33) |
| Noninjection drug use | 5 (24) |
| History of homelessness | 1 (5) |
| Diagnosed while incarcerated | 2 (10) |
| Clinical | |
| Previous TB diagnosis | 1 (5) |
| Pulmonary TB | 19 (90) |
| Infectiousness a | |
| Smear positive or cavitary | 12 (57) |
| Smear negative and noncavitary | 7 (33) |
| Extrapulmonary TB only | 2 (10) |
| Median infectious period b in months (IQR) | 12 (6-17) |
| Infectious period b ≥12 mo | 7 (50) |
| HIV-positive | 0 |
| Resistance to any first-line drug | 0 |
| Delayed TB diagnosis | 8 (33) |
| Initial sarcoidosis diagnosis | 2 (29) |
| Completed treatment | 19 (90) |
| Died while being treated | 2 (10) |
Abbreviations: IQR, interquartile range; TB, tuberculosis.
a
Based on site of TB disease, sputum smear results, and chest radiography results.
b
Estimated infectious period for 14 adult pulmonary TB cases; calculated in number of months based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. 6