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Table 1 Characteristics of the study population

From: Predictors of persistently positive Mycobacterium-tuberculosis-specific interferon-gamma responses in the serial testing of health care workers

Variables

n

%

Subjects, total

182

100

TB screening risk classification

  

   Low risk

17

9.3

   Medium risk

165

90.7

Reason for serial testing

  

   (Bi-)Annual routine screening

48

26.4

   Follow-up after recent contact investigation

134

73.6

Sex

  

   Male

59

29.1

   Female

123

70.9

Age categorized

  

   18 to 39 years

104

57.1

   40 to 49 years

50

27.5

   ≥ 50 years

28

15.4

Foreign country of birth*

40

22.0

Birth in high-burden country#

8

4.4

BCG vaccination

  

   Yes

95

52.2

   No

75

41.2

   Unknown

12

6.6

Health care professions

  

   Nursing

56

30.8

   Physician

28

15.4

   Other

98

53.8

Affiliation with ID/TB Care

43

23.6

Family history of TB

14

7.7

Own history of TB

2

1.1

Prior TST

129

70.9

TST results

  

   Positive prior TST result

54

41.9

   Recent TST > 5 mm induration

52

28.6

   Recent TST ≥ 10 mm induration

44

24.2

QFT-GIT results at baseline

  

   Positive

18

9.9

   Negative

162

89.0

   Indeterminate

2

1.1

QFT-GIT results at follow-up

  

   Positive

15

8.2

   Negative

164

90.1

   Indeterminate

3

1.7

  1. *Mostly Turkey (n = 17) and Poland (n = 9). #TB high-burden countries (according to WHO): Belarus (n = 2), Bosnia and Herzegovina (n = 1), Kazakhstan (n = 2), Morocco (n = 2), Philippines (n = 1). BCG = Bacillus Calmette-Guérin; ID = Infectious Diseases. QFT-GIT = QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube. TB = tuberculosis; TST = tuberculin skin test.