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Cited by 70Tuberculosis Research and EpidemiologyInfection Control and VentilationMycobacterium research and diagnosis

Detection, survival and infectious potential of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the environment: a review of the evidence and epidemiological implications

Open access
Martinez, Leonardo, Verma, Renu, Croda, Julio, Horsburgh, C. Robert, Walter, Katharine S., Degner, Nicholas, Middelkoop, Keren, Koch, Anastasia +5 more·2019·European Respiratory Journal
DOI 10.1183/13993003.02302-2018PMC PMC6753378
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Abstract

Much remains unknown aboutMycobacterium tuberculosistransmission. Seminal experimental studies from the 1950s demonstrated that airborne expulsion of droplet nuclei from an infectious tuberculosis (TB) patient is the primary route of transmission. However, these findings did not rule out other routes ofM. tuberculosis transmission. We reviewed historical scientific evidence from the late 19th/early 20th century and contemporary studies investigating the presence, persistence and infectiousness of environmentalM. tuberculosis. We found both experimental and epidemiological evidence supporting the presence and viability ofM. tuberculosisin multiple natural and built environments for months to years, presumably following contamination by a human source. Furthermore, several studies confirmM. tuberculosisviability and virulence in the environment using guinea pig and mouse models. Most of this evidence was historical; however, several recent studies have reported consistent findings ofM. tuberculosisdetection and viability in the environment using modern methods. WhetherM. tuberculosisin environments represents an infectious threat to humans requires further investigation; this may represent an untapped source of data with which to further understandM. tuberculosistransmission. We discuss potential opportunities for harnessing these data to generate new insights into TB transmission in congregate settings.

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  • Coexistence of TB and carcinoma in the same patient is a rare situation reported in the literature.

    “Another aspect that clinicians must not disregard is the coexistence of TB and carcinoma in the same patient, several cases being reported in the literature [20,33] regarding this particularly rare situation.”

    From Head and Neck Tuberculosis: A Rare Diagnosis and the Role of Surgical Biopsy and Histopathological Evaluation in Extrapulmonary Disease (2025) · cites this paper as [20]

    The Introduction discusses TB transmission, and the Contemporary evidence section discusses environmental survival and infectiousness; neither addresses TB and carcinoma in the same patient. Searches for coexistence, carcinoma, cancer, and malignancy found no passage about reported cases or their rarity. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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1 of the 66 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. [18]Calmette A, Guérin C. Origine intestinale de la tuberculose pulmonaire. [Intestinal origin of pulmonary tuberculosis.] Ann Inst Pasteur 1905; 19: 601– 618.
  2. [29]Straus I, Dubarry A. Recherches sur la duree de la vie des microbes pathogenes dans I’eau. [Research on the duration of life of pathogenic microbes in water.] Arch Med Exp Anat Pathol 1889; 1: 5.
  3. [32]Cornet G Die Verbreitung der Tuberkelbacillen ausserhalb des Körpers. [The spread of tubercle bacilli outside the body.] Z Hyg 1889; 5: 191– 331.
  4. [40]Hoffman E Die Gefahr der Weiterverbreitung der Tuberculose durch unsere Hausfliege. [The risk of tuberculosis spreading through our house fly.] Jähret Gesellsch Nat Heil Dresden 1887; 8: 145– 147.

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Authors
Martinez, L., Verma, R., Croda, J., Horsburgh, C. R., Walter, K. S., Degner, N., Middelkoop, K., Koch, A., Hermans, S., Warner, D. F., Wood, R., Cobelens, F., & Andrews, J. R.
Affiliations
  • Stanford Medicine (US)
  • Boston University (US)
  • University of Cape Town (ZA)
  • South African Medical Research Council (ZA)
  • Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam (NL)
ORCID
Venue
European Respiratory Journal
Publisher
European Respiratory Society (ERS)
Published
2019-05-02
Volume
53
Issue
6
Pages
1802302
ISSN
  • 0903-1936 (ISSN-L)
  • 1399-3003
DOI
10.1183/13993003.02302-2018
PMC
PMC6753378
OpenAlex
W2942714315
Cited by
70
References
66
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1
FWCI
0.88
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.ersjournals.com/user-licence (vor)
Locations
  • European Respiratory Journal (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (DP2 AI 131082, T32 AI 052073)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Infection Control and Ventilation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Mycobacterium research and diagnosis
Keywords
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, tuberculosis transmission, environmental persistence, environmental viability, airborne transmission, droplet nuclei, environmental contamination, congregate settings, transmission routes
MeSH terms
Aerosols, Animals, Cough, Disease Models, Animal, Dust, Guinea Pigs, Humans, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Research, Sputum, Tuberculosis, Pulmonary, History, 19th Century, History, 20th Century, History, 21st Century, Mice

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