Nationwide surveillance algorithms for tuberculosis among immigrant workers from highly endemic countries following pre-entry screening in Taiwan

Table 2 Clinical characteristics of 2080 immigrant workers with TB identified via passive versus active surveillance algorithms during 2011–2014

Variables	Total N = 2080	No. (%) Passive and unknown^a N = 1154	No. (%) Active^b N = 926	P value^c
Sex				0.34
female	1246	703 (60.9)	543 (58.6)
male	834	473 (56.7)	361 (43.3)
Age				0.59
< =29	1149	644 (60.1)	505 (47.9)
> =30	931	510 (41.2)	421 (30.1)
Nationality				0.034^d
Indonesia	1001	562 (48.7)	439 (47.4)
Mongolia	2	2 (0.4)	0 (0)
Thailand	250	121 (10.5)	129 (13.9)
Malaysia	2	2 (0.2)	0 (0)
Philippine	476	252 (21.8)	224 (24.2)
Vietnam	333	199 (17.2)	134 (14.5)
Chest X-ray radiography				< 0.00001^d
Normal	217	217 (18.8)	0
Abnormal non-cavity	1674	816 (70.7)	859 (92.8)
Abnormal w/cavity	157	92 (8.0)	65 (7)
Atypical	19	17 (11))	2 (0.2)
Microbiology status				< 0.00001^d
AFB smear-positive	298	185 (16.0)	113 (12.2)
AFB smear-negative	1576	785 (68.0)	791 (85.4)
Extra-pulmonary (EP) TB^e	164	164 (14.1)	0
Concurrent EPTB^f	88	78 (6.9)	10 (1.1)
Sputum Culture				0.055
Positive	871	500 (43.3)	374 (40.4)
Negative	1124	594 (51.5)	531 (57.3)
MDR-TB	10	8 (0.7)	2 (0.2)	0.21

^a Passive algorithms and unknown: TB cases identified via illness diagnostics, other clinical treatments during hospitalization, or few of them were unenrolled in immigrant worker physical examination systems due to changes in passport numbers
^b Active algorithms: TB cases identified via post-entry screening and were enrolled in immigrant worker physical examination systems
^c p value: Two-sided values were from Pearson’s chi-squared test. TB cases identified via illness diagnostics vs. TB cases identified via post-entry screenings based on each testing variable, e.g., sex, age, microbiology of pulmonary status, CXR, and MDR-TB
^d Statistically significant¸ P < 0.05
^e Extra-pulmonary (EP) TB: having extra-pulmonary TB infection with no lung involvement, i.e., X-ray normal, smear negative, and sputum culture negative
^f Concurrent EPTB: having extra-pulmonary TB infection with X-ray abnormal or smear positive or sputum culture positive. Abbreviations: AFB, acid-fast bacilli; MDR, multidrug-resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampin

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