A multidrug-resistant tuberculosis outbreak among immigrants in Tokyo, Japan, 2019–2021

In mid-September 2019, a teenage Chinese male student and part time waiter in Tokyo was diagnosed with multidrug-resistant (MDR) sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). This study describes the outbreak investigation of his friends and colleagues at the restaurant. We investigated six fri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJapanese Journal of Infectious Diseases p. JJID.2021.643
Main Authors Kobayashi, Yumi, Tateishi, Ai, Hiroi, Yumi, Minakuchi, Toki, Mukouyama, Haruko, Ota, Masaki, Nagata, Yoko, Hirao, Susumu, Yoshiyama, Takashi, Keicho, Naoto
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Japanese
Published National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases Editorial Committee 30.09.2022
Subjects
Disease outbreak
Epidemiology
Immigrants
Multidrug-resistance
Tuberculosis
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Summary:In mid-September 2019, a teenage Chinese male student and part time waiter in Tokyo was diagnosed with multidrug-resistant (MDR) sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). This study describes the outbreak investigation of his friends and colleagues at the restaurant. We investigated six friends and 15 colleagues, of whom five friends and 13 colleagues underwent interferon-ã release assay (IGRA). Of these, three friends (60.0%) and four colleagues (30.8%) were IGRA-positive. Each one of the friends and colleagues was found to have MDR-TB (20% and 7.7%, respectively). Challenges during the investigation were the unavailability of regimens for latent TB infection (LTBI) for contacts with MDR-TB, budgetary constraints concerning implementing computed tomography (CT) scans for the contacts, frequent address changes of foreign-born patients and contacts, investigation during the coronavirus disease pandemic, and variations of alphabetical expression of the names of the patients and contacts, particularly for those from China. It is recommended that the national government officially adopt prophylaxis regimens for LTBI with MDR-TB, address the budgetary constraints regarding CT-scans, and deploy liaison officer(s) for coordinating investigations involving many foreign-born patients and contacts scattered in multiple municipalities. The names of foreign-born persons could more accurately be identified using both the alphabet and Chinese characters.
ISSN:1344-6304
1884-2836
DOI:10.7883/yoken.JJID.2021.643