Resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among highly TB exposed South African gold miners.


Journal

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
Titre abrégé: PLoS One
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101285081

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
2022
Historique:
received: 18 02 2021
accepted: 22 02 2022
entrez: 18 3 2022
pubmed: 19 3 2022
medline: 4 5 2022
Statut: epublish

Résumé

Despite high exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a small proportion of South African goldminers resist TB infection. We determined, among long-service gold miners i) the proportion who were TB uninfected and ii) epidemiological factors associated with being uninfected. We enrolled HIV-negative gold miners aged 33-60 years with ≥15 years' service and no history of TB or silicosis. Miners were defined as TB uninfected if i) QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) negative or ii) in a stricter definition, QFT-Plus-negative and zero-response on TST and as resisters if they were of Black/African ethnicity and negative on both tests. Logistic regression was used to identify epidemiological factors associated with being TB uninfected. Of 307 participants with a QFT-Plus result, median age was 48 years (interquartile range [IQR] 44-53), median time working underground was 24 years (IQR 18-28), 303 (99%) were male and 91 (30%) were QFT-Plus-negative. The odds of being TB uninfected was 52% lower for unskilled workers (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27-0.85; p = 0.013). Among 281 participants of Black/African ethnicity, 71 (25%) were QFT-Plus negative. Miners with a BMI ≥30 were less likely to be TB uninfected (OR 0.38; 95% CI 0.18-0.80). Using the stricter definition, 44.3% (136/307) of all miners were classified as either TB uninfected (35; 26%) or infected, (101; 74%) and the associations remained similar. Among Black/African miners; 123 were classified as either TB uninfected (23; 19%) or infected (100; 81%) using the stricter definition. No epidemiological factors for being TB uninfected were identified. Despite high cumulative exposure, a small proportion of miners appear to be resistant to TB infection and are without distinguishing epidemiological characteristics.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND
Despite high exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a small proportion of South African goldminers resist TB infection. We determined, among long-service gold miners i) the proportion who were TB uninfected and ii) epidemiological factors associated with being uninfected.
METHODS
We enrolled HIV-negative gold miners aged 33-60 years with ≥15 years' service and no history of TB or silicosis. Miners were defined as TB uninfected if i) QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) negative or ii) in a stricter definition, QFT-Plus-negative and zero-response on TST and as resisters if they were of Black/African ethnicity and negative on both tests. Logistic regression was used to identify epidemiological factors associated with being TB uninfected.
RESULTS
Of 307 participants with a QFT-Plus result, median age was 48 years (interquartile range [IQR] 44-53), median time working underground was 24 years (IQR 18-28), 303 (99%) were male and 91 (30%) were QFT-Plus-negative. The odds of being TB uninfected was 52% lower for unskilled workers (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27-0.85; p = 0.013). Among 281 participants of Black/African ethnicity, 71 (25%) were QFT-Plus negative. Miners with a BMI ≥30 were less likely to be TB uninfected (OR 0.38; 95% CI 0.18-0.80). Using the stricter definition, 44.3% (136/307) of all miners were classified as either TB uninfected (35; 26%) or infected, (101; 74%) and the associations remained similar. Among Black/African miners; 123 were classified as either TB uninfected (23; 19%) or infected (100; 81%) using the stricter definition. No epidemiological factors for being TB uninfected were identified.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite high cumulative exposure, a small proportion of miners appear to be resistant to TB infection and are without distinguishing epidemiological characteristics.

Identifiants

pubmed: 35302992
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265036
pii: PONE-D-21-05516
pmc: PMC8932619
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

e0265036

Subventions

Organisme : Medical Research Council
ID : MR/R010161/1
Pays : United Kingdom
Organisme : NIAID NIH HHS
ID : UM1 AI154463
Pays : United States

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Références

Nat Rev Immunol. 2018 Sep;18(9):575-589
pubmed: 29895826
Lancet Infect Dis. 2004 Dec;4(12):761-76
pubmed: 15567126
Am J Epidemiol. 2015 Apr 15;181(8):619-32
pubmed: 25792607
Clin Infect Dis. 2019 May 2;68(10):1705-1712
pubmed: 30165605
JAMA. 1995 Jul 12;274(2):143-8
pubmed: 7596002
PLoS One. 2017 Apr 17;12(4):e0175844
pubmed: 28414762
Am J Epidemiol. 2018 Jul 1;187(7):1477-1489
pubmed: 29304247
PLoS One. 2008;3(12):e4094
pubmed: 19116662
PLoS Med. 2016 Oct 25;13(10):e1002152
pubmed: 27780211
J Clin Invest. 2021 Jul 15;131(14):
pubmed: 34111032
Ann Intern Med. 2008 Aug 5;149(3):177-84
pubmed: 18593687
N Engl J Med. 2014 Jan 23;370(4):301-10
pubmed: 24450889
Occup Environ Med. 1998 Jul;55(7):496-502
pubmed: 9816385
AIDS. 2000 Dec 1;14(17):2759-68
pubmed: 11125895
Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2009 Jan;13(1):39-46
pubmed: 19105877
Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009 Dec;7(12):845-55
pubmed: 19855401
Arch Intern Med. 2003 May 12;163(9):1009-21
pubmed: 12742798
PLoS One. 2019 Jul 18;14(7):e0218034
pubmed: 31318864
Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2000 Aug;4(8):705-12
pubmed: 10949321
Occup Environ Med. 2006 Mar;63(3):187-92
pubmed: 16497860
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1994 Nov;150(5 Pt 1):1460-2
pubmed: 7952577
Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2012 Jul;16(7):967-73
pubmed: 22584100
BMC Infect Dis. 2014 Jun 27;14:352
pubmed: 24970328
Front Microbiol. 2016 May 17;7:669
pubmed: 27242697

Auteurs

Violet N Chihota (VN)

The Aurum Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa.
School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.

Thobani Ntshiqa (T)

The Aurum Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Pholo Maenetje (P)

The Aurum Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Raoul Mansukhani (R)

TB Centre, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

Kavindhran Velen (K)

The Aurum Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Thomas R Hawn (TR)

Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.

Robert Wallis (R)

The Aurum Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.

Alison D Grant (AD)

School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
TB Centre, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
Africa Health Research Institute, School of Laboratory and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Gavin J Churchyard (GJ)

The Aurum Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa.
School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Katherine Fielding (K)

School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
TB Centre, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

Articles similaires

[Redispensing of expensive oral anticancer medicines: a practical application].

Lisanne N van Merendonk, Kübra Akgöl, Bastiaan Nuijen
1.00
Humans Antineoplastic Agents Administration, Oral Drug Costs Counterfeit Drugs

Smoking Cessation and Incident Cardiovascular Disease.

Jun Hwan Cho, Seung Yong Shin, Hoseob Kim et al.
1.00
Humans Male Smoking Cessation Cardiovascular Diseases Female
Humans United States Aged Cross-Sectional Studies Medicare Part C
1.00
Humans Yoga Low Back Pain Female Male

Classifications MeSH