Transmission of tuberculosis in an outbreak

Objective To analyze the transmission characteristics of tuberculosis (TB) in an outbreak in a military academy and provide evidence for prevention and control of TB outbreak. Methods Epidemiology investigation was conducted for all the TB cases to understand the transmission route. Results A total of 44 cases occurred, in which 32 (72.73%) had symptoms and 12 (27.27%) had no obvious discomfort before diagnosis. The first case was not isolated for 4 months due to the misdiagnosis of pneumonia. Twenty three cases (53.49%) had direct contacts, 8 cases (19.60%) had indirect contacts, 12 cases (27.91%) had no contacts with the first case. Conclusion Misdiagnosis was responsible for the TB outbreak, and close contact was the main transmission route.