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http://dx.doi.org/10.4046/trd.2012.73.4.219

Prevalence of Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Medical Students in South Korea  

Jung, Da Ho (Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine)
Jo, Kyung-Wook (Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine)
Shim, Tae Sun (Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine)
Publication Information
Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases / v.73, no.4, 2012 , pp. 219-223 More about this Journal
Abstract
Background: We investigated the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among medical students in South Korea. Methods: Students from one medical school, who were in second- or third-year classes before clerkship course, were enrolled for three consecutive years in the study. A standard questionnaire was given to each participant, and tuberculin skin test (TST), QuantiFERON-TB GOLD In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assay, and chest radiography were performed. Results: A total of 153 participants were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the subjects was $21.9{\pm}0.9$ years, 105 (68.6%) were male, and 132 (86.3%) had been vaccinated with Bacille Calmette-Gu$\acute{e}$rin (BCG). Four students (2.6%) had a history of contact with tuberculosis (TB) patients during medical practice. No abnormal chest radiograph findings were found for any of the subjects. Of the 153 subjects, 23 (15.0%) tested positive for the TST, and 8 (5.2%) tested positive for the QFT-GIT. The agreement between the two tests was determined to be 0.34 using kappa coefficients. Of the four students who had a history of contact with TB patients, only one subject tested positive for both tests, and the other three students tested negative for both tests. Conclusion: A low prevalence of LTBI was found among medical students before clerkship course in South Korea.
Keywords
Latent Tuberculosis; Tuberculin Test; Interferon-gamma Release Tests, Schools, Medical; Students;
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