In an announcement Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disclosed the origin of a second nationwide tuberculosis outbreak, pinpointing a link to surgical procedures involving allografts.
Two TB patients who underwent spinal surgeries using allografts containing live cells from a deceased donor in early July 2023 have been identified by the CDC as the initial cases, reported the Daily Caller.
Following the surgeries, both patients contracted TB, with one experiencing meningitis symptoms five weeks post-operation. The alarm was raised when a separate health department reported a positive TB test in a patient with a persistent surgical site infection, prompting a joint investigation by the CDC. Clinicians noted parallels between their cases and a 2021 TB outbreak and urged further scrutiny.
By July 14, 2023, the CDC confirmed that 36 patients had undergone procedures involving at least one "unit of product," suggesting bits of individuals used in allografts. Subsequent analysis affirmed the allografts as the source of transmission.
An allograft is tissue (i.e., bone, ligaments, heart valves) recovered from a human donor for transplantation into another person.
TB, a bacterial infection primarily affecting the lungs but capable of impacting other organs, is known for its airborne transmission through respiratory particles expelled during speaking, coughing, or singing, according to the CDC.
According to the CDC, symptoms of active TB include persistent coughs with sputum or blood, weakness, fatigue, chest pains, fever, loss of appetite, night sweats, weight loss, and chills. Inactive TB patients exhibit no symptoms and cannot transmit the disease.
The CDC recommended culture-based testing of donor tissues to reduce the risk of TB transmission via allografts.
In a separate incident in December, the University of California, Davis, initiated contact-tracing efforts after identifying an individual carrying TB on campus.
Collaborating with the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency, the school conducted contact tracing to identify and notify potentially exposed individuals, according to a news release shared by the institution, as reported the Daily Caller.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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