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Face Mask Sampling for the Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Expelled Aerosols

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posted on 2015-07-20, 12:21 authored by Caroline M. L. Williams, Eddy S. G. Cheah, Joanne Malkin, H. Patel, J. Otu, K. Mlaga, J. S. Sutherland, M. Antonio, N. Perera, G. Woltmann, Pranabashis Haldar, Natalie J. Garton, Michael R. Barer
BACKGROUND: Although tuberculosis is transmitted by the airborne route, direct information on the natural output of bacilli into air by source cases is very limited. We sought to address this through sampling of expelled aerosols in face masks that were subsequently analyzed for mycobacterial contamination. METHODS: In series 1, 17 smear microscopy positive patients wore standard surgical face masks once or twice for periods between 10 minutes and 5 hours; mycobacterial contamination was detected using a bacteriophage assay. In series 2, 19 patients with suspected tuberculosis were studied in Leicester UK and 10 patients with at least one positive smear were studied in The Gambia. These subjects wore one FFP30 mask modified to contain a gelatin filter for one hour; this was subsequently analyzed by the Xpert MTB/RIF system. RESULTS: In series 1, the bacteriophage assay detected live mycobacteria in 11/17 patients with wearing times between 10 and 120 minutes. Variation was seen in mask positivity and the level of contamination detected in multiple samples from the same patient. Two patients had non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections. In series 2, 13/20 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis produced positive masks and 0/9 patients with extrapulmonary or non-tuberculous diagnoses were mask positive. Overall, 65% of patients with confirmed pulmonary mycobacterial infection gave positive masks and this included 3/6 patients who received diagnostic bronchoalveolar lavages. CONCLUSION: Mask sampling provides a simple means of assessing mycobacterial output in non-sputum expectorant. The approach shows potential for application to the study of airborne transmission and to diagnosis.

History

Citation

PLoS One, 2014, 9 (8), pp. e104921

Author affiliation

/Organisation/COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND PSYCHOLOGY/School of Medicine/Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Published in

PLoS One

Publisher

Public Library of Science

eissn

1932-6203

Acceptance date

2014-07-13

Copyright date

2014

Available date

2015-07-20

Publisher version

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0104921

Language

en

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