Posttransplant Tuberculosis

Abstract

Tuberculosis is a major problem in the posttransplantation period, because of its high incidence and prevalence, difficulty in diagnosis as well as high risk of morbidity and mortality. In solid-organ transplant recipients, the diagnosis of tuberculosis is complex because it is paucisymptomatic. Tuberculin skin testing results may be negative, and interferon-gamma release assays may be insufficiently sensitive. Furthermore, imaging technique findings are mostly atypical, and sputum smear results can be negative despite the presence of active disease. Therefore, most tuberculosis cases are overlooked, and thus, treatment initiation is often delayed.