The incidence of tuberculosis in adolescents in the context of proposed TB vaccine trials
type: CreativeWork
description: [Background] Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant global health problem and the development of new TB vaccines is one strategy proposed to address this scourge. Adolescents are a potential target group for new TB vaccines. Limited data are available in the scientific literature on the epidemiology of TB in adolescents. This thesis aimed to add substantial data on adolescent TB epidemiology through a cohort study of TB infection and disease in adolescents in a high burden setting. Such data will support clinical trials of new TB vaccines in adolescents but the knowledge gained will also be of value for TB Control Programmes. [Methods] Adolescents aged 12-18 years were recruited from 11 high schools in the rural town of Worcester and surrounding areas of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. They were screened at baseline for latent TB infection using both the tuberculin skin test (TST) and an interferon gamma release assay, the QuantiFERON® TB Gold (in-tube) assay (QFT). They were also screened for TB disease using an algorithm composed of a set of screening tests. They were followed up for at least two years for incident TB and the predictive value of the baseline TST and QFT for incident TB disease was compared. Demographic, socio-economic and clinical predictive factors for latent TB infection prevalence at enrolment and for incident TB disease during follow up were determined. A survey of attitudes to participation in TB vaccine clinical trials in a subset of adolescents from these schools was also conducted. Both studies had ethics approval. Standard scientific statistical techniques were used to analyse the data. [Results] Fifty eight percent (6363) of the target population of 10,492 adolescents were recruited into the main cohort study. A prevalence of latent TB infection amongst the study participants at enrolment of 55% (TST) and 51% (QFT) was found. Predictive factors for latent infection were: being of black or mixed race origin compared to being of whi…
abstract: [Background] Tuberculosis (TB) is a significant global health problem and the development of new TB vaccines is one strategy proposed to address this scourge. Adolescents are a potential target group for new TB vaccines. Limited data are available in the scientific literature on the epidemiology of TB in adolescents. This thesis aimed to add substantial data on adolescent TB epidemiology through a cohort study of TB infection and disease in adolescents in a high burden setting. Such data will support clinical trials of new TB vaccines in adolescents but the knowledge gained will also be of value for TB Control Programmes. [Methods] Adolescents aged 12-18 years were recruited from 11 high schools in the rural town of Worcester and surrounding areas of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. They were screened at baseline for latent TB infection using both the tuberculin skin test (TST) and an interferon gamma release assay, the QuantiFERON® TB Gold (in-tube) assay (QFT). They were also screened for TB disease using an algorithm composed of a set of screening tests. They were followed up for at least two years for incident TB and the predictive value of the baseline TST and QFT for incident TB disease was compared. Demographic, socio-economic and clinical predictive factors for latent TB infection prevalence at enrolment and for incident TB disease during follow up were determined. A survey of attitudes to participation in TB vaccine clinical trials in a subset of adolescents from these schools was also conducted. Both studies had ethics approval. Standard scientific statistical techniques were used to analyse the data. [Results] Fifty eight percent (6363) of the target population of 10,492 adolescents were recruited into the main cohort study. A prevalence of latent TB infection amongst the study participants at enrolment of 55% (TST) and 51% (QFT) was found. Predictive factors for latent infection were: being of black or mixed race origin compared to being of whi…
author: Mahomed, Hassan
language: eng
date published: 2013
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:22:49Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Public Health and Family Medicine

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9314