Older adults may play an overlooked role in spreading tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is still the world's deadliest infectious disease. In Taiwan, where the population is aging quickly, most TB patients are now older than 65. A new study from Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, published in The Lancet Microbe, suggests that older adults may play a larger role in spreading TB than previously recognized. Understanding their role could help public health teams find new…
Tuberculosis, the world's deadliest infectious disease, is seeing a shift in its transmission patterns in rapidly aging Taiwan. A new study published in The Lancet Microbe highlights that older adults, particularly those over 65, may play a more significant role in spreading the disease than previously thought. The study, led by researchers at National Taiwan University and Kaohsiung Medical University, analyzed the genetic makeup of TB bacteria from 4,168 patients diagnosed between 2019 and 2023.
Researchers found that nearly one in four patients was linked to others through recent transmission, with older adults accounting for a substantial portion of these cases. Adults aged 65 and older were involved in about 40% of linked cases, while those aged 55 to 74 were inferred as the source of approximately half of all traced transmission events.
The study also revealed that different types of TB bacteria spread in distinct ways, with one strain, the Beijing strain, spreading more widely throughout the city, and another strain primarily spreading in rural mountain areas. Understanding the role of older adults in TB transmission could help public health teams develop targeted prevention strategies, focusing resources on the groups and locations where the disease is spreading most rapidly.
Co-corresponding author Hsien-Ho Lin, a professor at National Taiwan University, emphasizes the importance of reading the genetic code of TB bacteria combined with patient and location data to identify areas of transmission and enable earlier intervention.
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