In a retrospective study, the results of tuberculin skin tests done in a nursing home were examined, where most residents admitted during 1972-1981 were tested using purified protein derivative of tuberculin administered intradermally. Of 514 residents who were tested at least once during the study period, results of the admission skin test were available for 254 and follow-up skin test results were available for 226. On admission, 13 per cent (35/254) were skin-test positive (greater than or equal to 10 mm induration at 48 hours). Skin test positivity for males was 16 per cent, females, 11 per cent, nonwhites, 19 per cent, and whites, 12 per cent. Highest skin test positivity was for @entity1 received as transfers from other nursing homes (24 per cent) and lowest was for those entering from individual homes (8 per cent, P = 0.016, Fisher's Exact Test). On follow-up, 38/226 (17 per cent) residents who had been tuberculin-negative on at least two previous occasions were found to be positive; 24 (63 per cent) of these conversions occurred in a single year (1975) following detection of an @entity166 @entity1 . The infection rate for @entity1 residing in the nursing home during that year was 28 per cent (28/99) compared with 7.9 per cent (10/127) for @entity1 either discharged before or admitted after 1975 (relative risk = 3.6, P less than 0.001). Ten to 15 per cent of new residents are tuberculin-positive (harbour a dormant @entity281 ), leaving 85-90 per cent of newly admitted @entity1 who are tuberculin-negative and thus susceptible to infection if exposed. The study shows that @entity378 must be considered as a potential @entity580 in nursing homes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

XXXX in a nursing home: a retrospective cohort study.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patient', 'persons'] @entity281 :: ('MESH:D007239', 'Disease') :: ['tuberculous infection'] @entity580 :: ('MESH:D003428', 'Disease') :: ['nosocomial infection'] @entity378 :: ('MESH:D014376', 'Disease') :: ['tuberculosis'] @entity166 :: ('MESH:D003141', 'Disease') :: ['infectious']
@entity378 :: (MESH:D014376,Disease) :: ['Epidemic tuberculosis']
