BACKGROUND: Israel absorbs many migrants from countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB). OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology of TB among adults in Israel between 1999 and 2010 and identify populations with a high TB burden. DESIGN: Data were retrieved from the National Tuberculosis Registry and the Israeli Bureau of Statistics. RESULTS: A total of 4652 adult TB patients were notified during the study period, with rates decreasing annually from 7.5 per 100 000 population in 1999 to 4.3 in 2010. Most (n = 3745, 80.5%) had pulmonary TB, the average female:male ratio was 1:1.4, and 227 (5.1%) were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Of all TB patients, 4079 (87.6%) were born outside Israel; of these, 3338 were citizens and 741 non-citizen migrant workers (MWs). The average annual rates of TB among Israeli-born citizens, foreign-born citizens and MWs were respectively 0.86, 11.9 and 27/100 000. The ratio of MWs to foreign-born citizens fell from 1:11.7 in 1999 to 1:1.5 in 2010. TB was diagnosed 13.9 ±7.5 years following entry to Israel, mostly during the first year. Of 3551 isolates, 222 (4.5%) were multidrug-resistant; most (95.6%) were from foreign-born patients. The average treatment success rate for smear-positive pulmonary TB was 84.3%. CONCLUSION: TB rates have decreased, while the proportion of foreign-born subjects, particularly MWs, has increased. Adherence to preventive treatment can prevent TB in these cases. © 2012 The Union.

Migrant workers HIV citizenship Epidemiology

HIV Infections Israel Registries Human immunodeficiency virus infection bacterium isolation human trend study middle aged sputum culture multidrug resistant tuberculosis Mycobacterium tuberculosis priority journal Time Factors Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant Aged Residence Characteristics disease surveillance foreign worker Humans lung tuberculosis tuberculostatic agent Antitubercular Agents male Treatment Outcome Tuberculosis, Pulmonary Emigrants and Immigrants female tuberculosis Coinfection Incidence Article Disease Notification major clinical study adult bacterial load antibiotic resistance Emigration and Immigration Transients and Migrants bacterium culture population migration mixed infection