The DOI matches its Crossref record; 123 of the 123 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The global prevalence of latent tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Open accessAbstract
In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that one-third of the world's population had latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), which was recently updated to one-fourth. However, this is still based on controversial assumptions in combination with tuberculin skin test (TST) surveys. Interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs) with a higher specificity than TST have since been widely implemented, but never used to estimate the global LTBI prevalence. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of LTBI estimates based on both IGRA and TST results published between 2005 and 2018. Regional and global estimates of LTBI prevalence were calculated. Stratification was performed for low, intermediate and high TB incidence countries and a pooled estimate for each area was calculated using a random effects model. Among 3280 studies screened, we included 88 studies from 36 countries with 41 IGRA (n=67 167) and 67 TST estimates (n=284 644). The global prevalence of LTBI was 24.8% (95% CI 19.7–30.0%) and 21.2% (95% CI 17.9–24.4%), based on IGRA and a 10-mm TST cut-off, respectively. The prevalence estimates correlated well to WHO incidence rates (Rs=0.70, p<0.001). In the first study of the global prevalence of LTBI derived from both IGRA and TST surveys, we found that one-fourth of the world's population is infected. This is of relevance, as both tests, although imperfect, are used to identify individuals eligible for preventive therapy. Enhanced efforts are needed targeting the large pool of latently infected individuals, as this constitutes an enormous source of potential active tuberculosis.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA Statement.
(2009) · PubMed Central · Cited by 44,859
Meta-analysis in clinical trials
DerSimonian, R., & Laird, N. (1986) · Controlled Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/0197-2456(86)90046-2 · Cited by 39,552
The Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials
Higgins, J. P. T., Altman, D. G., Gotzsche, P. C., Juni, P., Moher, D., Oxman, A. D., Savovic, J., Schulz, K. F., Weeks, L., Sterne, J. A. C., et al. (2011) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.d5928 · Cited by 33,817
Liberati, A., Altman, D. G., Tetzlaff, J., Mulrow, C., Gøtzsche, P. C., Ioannidis, J. P. A., Clarke, M., Devereaux, P. J., Kleijnen, J., & Moher, D. (2009) · PLoS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000100 · Cited by 28,164
Elm, E. V., Altman, D. G., Egger, M., Pocock, S. J., Gøtzsche, P. C., & Vandenbroucke, J. P. (2007) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.39335.541782.ad · Cited by 10,766
Liberati, A., Altman, D. G., Tetzlaff, J., Mulrow, C., Gøtzsche, P. C., Ioannidis, J. P. A., Clarke, M., Devereaux, P. J., Kleijnen, J., & Moher, D. (2009) · Journal of Clinical Epidemiology · doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2009.06.006 · Cited by 10,578
Global Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Hill, N. R., Fatoba, S., Oke, J. L., Hirst, J. A., O’Callaghan, C. A., Lasserson, D. S., & Hobbs, R. F. (2016) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158765 · Cited by 4,320
Dye, C., Scheele, S., >Dolin, P., Pathania, V. S., Raviglione, M. C., & for the WHO Global Surveillance and Monitoring Project (1999) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.282.7.677 · Cited by 2,955
The Global Burden of Latent Tuberculosis Infection: A Re-estimation Using Mathematical Modelling
Houben, R. M. G. J., & Dodd, P. J. (2016) · PLOS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002152 · Cited by 2,054
The Immune Response in Tuberculosis
O’Garra, A., Redford, P. S., McNab, F. W., Bloom, C. I., Wilkinson, R. J., & Berry, M. P. R. (2013) · Annual Review of Immunology · doi:10.1146/annurev-immunol-032712-095939 · Cited by 1,400
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Styblo, 1985, The relationship between the risk of tuberculous infection and the risk of developing infectious tuberculosis, Bull Int Union Tuberc Lung Dis, 60, 117
- Murthy, 2013, PLoS One, 8, e71470
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 501–547 of 547
The cascade of care for latent tuberculosis infection in Malaysia: a cohort analysis
Yeoh, A. S. T., Mahmood, M. I., Ganason, M., Ang, S. H., Peng, P. W. Y., Min, J., Halim, S. H. A., Razali, A., Sivasampu, S., & Tok, P. S. K. (2026) · BMC Infectious Diseases · doi:10.1186/s12879-026-12943-1
Enos Jadlin, G. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-8990051/v1
Kundu, A., Majumder, D., Das, D., & Das, N. (2026) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.104511
Toward tuberculosis elimination strategy: the role of IGRA on immunocompetent individuals
Araújo‐Pereira, M., & de Andrade, B. L. A. (2026) · International Journal of Infectious Diseases · doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2026.108518
Survival analysis of type III censored pulmonary tuberculosis patients using Kaplan–Meier method
Fibryan, M. H., Farizi, M. F. A., Jannah, S. Z., & Kurniawan, A. (2026) · AIP conference proceedings · doi:10.1063/5.0308855
Navarro‐Soler, R., Muriel, A., Fanciulli, C., Bernardino, J. I., Béjar, C. S., Zamora, J., Fernández-Felix, B. M., de Morales, A. G. G.-R., Poveda, E., de, Á. M., et al. (2026) · Infectious Diseases of Poverty · doi:10.1186/s40249-026-01426-9
Garfein, R. S., Seifert, M., Abramovitz, D. A., Bojórquez, I., Vera, A., Sepulveda, J., & Strathdee, S. A. (2026) · Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health · doi:10.1007/s10903-026-01891-2
Stationary Analysis of a Disease Coinfection Model: Tuberculosis and HIV in Regions of Russia
Neverov, A. V., Игоревна, К. О., & Каминский, Г. Д. (2026) · Computational Mathematics and Mathematical Physics · doi:10.1134/s0965542525701866
Feuth, T., Rajalahti, I., Vauhkonen, M., Nordstrand, K., Stecher, M., Viiklepp, P., Gurbanova, E., Nurm, Ü.-K., Terleeva, Y., & Vasankari, T. (2026) · European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases · doi:10.1007/s10096-026-05471-y
Анатольевна, Б. Л., Kudlay, D. A., & Doktorovа, N. P. (2026) · Meditsinskiy sovet = Medical Council · doi:10.21518/ms2026-027
Yemata, G. A., Sitotaw, B. A., Hailu, B. A., & Belay, E. (2026) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-026-45371-x
Series 2: Invisible Threats: A Global Scoping Review of Risk Factors for Tuberculosis Infection
Menon, S., Harries, A. D., Dlodlo, R. A., Badoum, G., Dogo, M. F., Mbitikon, O. B., Sinha, P., Lin, Y., Jaju, J., Soe, A. N., et al. (2026) · Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease · doi:10.3390/tropicalmed11040087
Boyko, N. I. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-9125432/v1
Menon, S., Harries, A. D., Dlodlo, R. A., Badoum, G., Dogo, M. F., Mbitikon, O. B., Sinha, P., Lin, Y., Jaju, J., Soe, A. N., et al. (2026) · Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease · doi:10.3390/tropicalmed11040094
Marcoux, V. S., Grant-Orser, A., Scallan, C. J., Marinescu, D.-C., Goobie, G. C., Lok, S. D., Wong, A. W., Rocque, A. L., Edwards, B. D., Zheng, B., et al. (2026) · Canadian Journal of Respiratory Critical Care and Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1080/24745332.2026.2632675
Natural history of tuberculosis : role of microbiota
Fellag, M. (2020) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/f67d20f9zffd2z4d18zbfc5zfaa4d7dff0eb
Mistretta, M. (2021) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/a814c67cz9630z40f6z8867z43d3267f3290
New inborn errors of human phagocytes
Neehus, A. (2023) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/cb65d83fz5ca3z4c26z84fbz1e758c88e756
Condensed Imaging Review of Thoracic Tuberculosis
Pygott, N., Bedir, R., Babar, J. L., & Wetscherek, M. T. (2026) · Journal of Thoracic Imaging · doi:10.1097/rti.0000000000000884
Protocolo diagnóstico y terapéutico de la infección tuberculosa latente
Cifuentes, R. P., Moreno, J. S., García, D. C., & Garcia, G. M. (2026) · Medicine - Programa de Formación Médica Continuada Acreditado · doi:10.1016/j.med.2026.04.017
Towards the elimination of tuberculosis: advances in diagnostics, treatment, and vaccination
Bartłomiej, S., Majewski, K., & Daniel, Ś. (2026) · European journal of medical research · doi:10.1186/s40001-026-04532-4
Prevalence of tuberculosis infection among pregnant women: a systematic review protocol
Mandeville, P., Nick, J. M., Truax, F. N., Şahin, S., & Sehgal, G. (2026) · JBI Evidence Synthesis · doi:10.11124/jbies-25-00114
Brooks, C. J., Muñoz‐Barrutia, A., Abdi, A., Fleegle, J. D., Gómez, F. A., Weiner, D. M., Pérez-Benito, D., de Pablo, L. G., Via, L. E., & Vaquero, J. J. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-9481815/v1
Blinded trial of multiplex serodiagnostic test in India for diverse forms of active tuberculosis
Singhal, R., Ravindran, R. K., Poniya, S., Kumar, L., Myneedu, V. P., Sarin, R., Krishna, P., Goldberg, E., Dunn, S. J., Gupta, P., et al. (2026) · Microbiology Spectrum · doi:10.1128/spectrum.03898-25
Chaiear, N., Ngamchokwathana, C., Krisorn, P., Soonthornvinit, W., Chantarasuk, Y., Chonlapan, A., Surapaitoon, A., Chanpho, P., & Reechaipichitkul, W. (2026) · Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology · doi:10.1186/s12995-026-00514-8
Kutame, R., Boateng, G., Gyau-Boateng, V., Agyemang-Bioh, F., Antwi, L., Yankey, P., Vanderpuye, V. L. N. A., Attu, J. A., Miah, B. D.-G., Antwi, N. K., et al. (2026) · Advances in Public Health · doi:10.1155/adph/4671690
Muniyandi, M., Kothoju, B. C., Chelvanayagam, K., Balachandran, B., Palani, B., Janagaraj, V., Thirupathi, V., & Nagarajan, K. (2026) · BMC Infectious Diseases · doi:10.1186/s12879-026-13607-w
Zeyen, C., Heuer, R., Haecker, B., Schaberg, T., & Nast, P. A. (2026) · JDDG Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft · doi:10.1111/ddg.15948_g
Caminero, J. A., Anibarro, L., Tabernero, E. M., Alcaide, F., Pérez-Mendoza, G., Millet, J.-P., Guna, R., de Souza-Galvão, M. L., López-Roa, P., Sánchez‐Montalvá, A., et al. (2026) · Enfermedades infecciosas y microbiologia clinica (English ed ) · doi:10.1016/j.eimce.2025.503037
Diergaardt, A., Iipumbu, E., Netha, S., Steenkamp, P., Shiweva, L., Kizito, B., Günther, G., Nepolo, E., Woldetsadik, T., Niemann, S., et al. (2026) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/79438
Huda, R. K., Yadav, D., Chaudhary, P., Singh, J., Mandana, L. K., Kumar, M., Kalra, S., Khetan, M., Sangwan, R. K., & Bhardwaj, P. (2026) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/95534
Setiawan, M., Wardhani, P., Kahar, H., Fitriah, M., & Rahmawati, L. D. (2026) · Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology · doi:10.52711/0974-360x.2026.00477
Козлов, В. К., Стельмах, В. В., & Kozlov, I. G. (2026) · Russian Journal of Biotherapy · doi:10.17650/1726-9784-2026-25-2-32-50
Asif Shariff, A., Mohan Ram, E., I., A. B. M., K., R. A. A., Dusthackeer, A., Ambrose Rajkumar, M., Sivalingam, S., Habeebullah, T., & S., J. A. V. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10270755/v1
Lu, P., Li, Z., Ding, X., Pan, J., Ding, H., Yao, H., Zhu, L., Huang, L., & Liu, Q. (2026) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2026.1865147
Commercially available biosensors for Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection
Kaithwas, S., & Dhand, C. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-44589-7.00004-2
Lv, J., Wu, H.-Y., Xin, M., Zhai, X., Zhang, L., & Lu, L. (2026) · International Journal of Biological Macromolecules · doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2026.154065
Tep, S., Tuot, S., Cheng, S., Ung, S., Guillard, B., Menh, S., Choub, S. C., Huot, C. Y., Borand, L., Fox, G. J., et al. (2026) · Annals of Medicine · doi:10.1080/07853890.2026.2714685
Prandiyal, S., Kaur, D., Ali, W., Ehtesham, N. Z., Hasnain, S. E., & Alam, A. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-27735-1.00005-8
Hildebrand, R. E., Lodes, M. B., Chandrasekar, S., Hansen, C. H., Elsmo, E. J., Veltri, A. J., & Talaat, A. M. (2026) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2026.1895152
Acheneje, G. O., Abraham, T., Omale, N. O., Atokolo, W., & Bolaji, B. (2026) · Journal of Applied Nonlinear Dynamics · doi:10.5890/jand.2027.03.011
Maitre, T., Bihan, K., Véziris, N., Godet, C., Parrot, A., Djibré, M., Lebrun‐Vignes, B., & Cadranel, J. L. (2026) · Thorax · doi:10.1136/thorax-2025-223332
Chen, F., 余姣, Ruan, M., Ye, J., Gu, L., Zhang, L., & Liu, W. (2026) · Respiratory Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.rmed.2026.109171
Mwaba, P. B., Mwaba, I., Maimbolwa, M. M., Chanda, C., Mputu, M., Lumbwe, C. M., Zimba, K. M., Kasese-Chanda, N., Chimzizi, R. B., Mubanga, A., et al. (2026) · PLOS Global Public Health · doi:10.1371/journal.pgph.0005628
Managing TB infection among household contacts of patients with pulmonary TB
Kalra, A., Das, M., ThekkePurakkal, A. S., Showket, T., Raj, S., Prakash, S., Dasari, R., Solanki, H., Rao, R., Dhawan, V., et al. (2026) · IJTLD OPEN · doi:10.5588/ijtldopen.26.0237
Invade, hide, reactivate: The biology of ocular tuberculosis and toxoplasmosis
Majumder, P. D. (2026) · Oman Journal of Ophthalmology · doi:10.4103/ojo.ojo_413_26
Metadata
- Authors
- Cohen, A., Mathiasen, V. D., Schön, T., & Wejse, C.
- Affiliations
- St Olav's University Hospital (NO)
- Linköping University (SE)
- Bandim Health Project (GW)
- Venue
- European Respiratory Journal
- Publisher
- European Respiratory Society (ERS)
- Published
- 2019-06-20
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 1900655
- ISSN
- 0903-1936 (ISSN-L)
- 1399-3003
- OpenAlex
- W2950875755
- Cited by
- 547
- References
- 123
- Citations by year
- 2026: 61 · 2025: 78 · 2024: 94 · 2023: 89 · 2022: 101 · 2021: 73 · 2020: 47 · 2019: 4
- FWCI
- 7.86
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- European Respiratory Journal (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Novo Nordisk (NNF15OC0018034)
- Hjärt-Lungfonden (20150236)
- Forskningsrådet om Hälsa, Arbetsliv och Välfärd (201602043)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › HIV, TB, and STIs Epidemiology
- Keywords
- latent tuberculosis infection, global prevalence, interferon-gamma release assay, tuberculin skin test, tuberculosis prophylaxis
- MeSH terms
- Algorithms, Communicable Disease Control, Humans, Tuberculin Test, Global Health, World Health Organization, Incidence, Prevalence, Latent Tuberculosis, Interferon-gamma Release Tests
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
