Evolving Nature of Tuberculosis in the Post-pandemic World - original research - Epidemiology/Public Health Infectious Disease Pulmonology

Sep 28, 2026

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Evolving Nature of Tuberculosis in the Post-pandemic World examines whether COVID-19 infection and COVID-19 vaccination influence the subsequent development of active tuberculosis. A prospective observational study enrolled 200 patients with suspected TB and divided them into two groups based on prior COVID-19 disease. TB diagnosis used microscopy with Ziehl-Neelsen staining, culture with MGIT-960, and GeneXpert MTB/RIF. Active TB occurred in 14% of previously infected patients and 19% without prior COVID-19, with most cases occurring among vaccinated participants. Logistic regression suggested vaccinated individuals had lower odds of TB, but results were not statistically significant.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Materials and methods

Results

Conclusion

Keywords

Review began 11/17/2025 Review ended 11/26/2025 Published 12/02/2025 © Copyright 2025 Bordoloi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CCBY 4.0. , which permits unrestricted use , distribution , and reproduction in any medium , provided the original author and source are credited. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.98349 Open Access Original Article Evolving Nature of Tuberculosis in the Postpandemic World Tamanna Bordoloi 1, Kiran Bala 1, Jaya Biswas 1, Neha Nityadarshini 1 , Raunak Bir 2 , Pawan Tiwari 3, Saurabh Mittal 3 , Praveen Bharti 4, Anant Mohan 3, Urvashi Singh 1 1. Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, New Delhi, IND 2. Department of Microbiology, Employee 's State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, IND 3. Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, New Delhi, IND 4. Department of Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, IND Corresponding author: Kiran Bala, [drkiran.dks@gmail.com](drkiran.dks@gmail.com) Abstract Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 are highly transmissible respiratory diseases. The sequel of development of active TB after COVID-19 disease has been hypothesized to increase due to many reasons. We aimed to explore the association between COVID-19 infection, COVID-19 vaccination, and the development of active TB and navigate any existing patterns if present. Materials and methods This prospective observational study was conducted over a span of one year in two hospitals. A total of 200 patients with suspected TB were recruited and divided into two groups: Group A (n=100) had previous infection with COVID-19, and Group B (n=100) had no previous COVID-19 disease. Diagnosis of TB was done from both pulmonary and extrapulmonary samples by microscopy using the Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) technique for acid-fast bacilli, culture using the Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube-960 (MGIT-960)(Becton, Dickinson and Company, Sparks, Maryland, United States), and molecular assays such as the GeneXpert® MTB/RIF (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, California, United States) . Epidemiological data, clinical picture, and their pattern of sequence of TB after COVID-19 vaccination and COVID-19 disease were investigated. Results In Group A, 37 (37%) were females with a mean age of 39 .4 years, and 63 (63%) were males with a mean age of 41 .9 years. In Group B, 45 (45%) were females, and 55 (55%) were males, with mean ages of 41 .02 years and 44 .16 years, respectively. Confirmation of TB cases was done using ZN staining, MGIT-960, and GeneXpert® MTB/RIF assay. Active TB infection was identified in 14 (14%) participants in Group A, of whom 11 (78 .5%) were COVID-19 vaccinated, and in 19 (19%) participants in Group B, of whom 14 (73 .6%) were vaccinated. Covishield was the predominant vaccine received. Most of the patients had received both doses of the vaccine. Logistic regression analysis was performed, which showed that vaccinated individuals had a lower odds ofTB infection than unvaccinated individuals in both groups. However, the findings were not statistically significant (p>0 .05) . Conclusion No association between COVID-19 vaccination and the subsequent development of active TB was seen. Categories: Epidemiology/Public Health, Infectious Disease, Pulmonology Keywords: covid-19, covid-19 vaccination, genexpert, immune response, tuberculosis Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 are highly transmissible respiratory diseases that pose a risk to public health. Both diseases have a similar route of transmission, and dysregulation of the immune system is a known feature in both [1] . Both diseases are spread through droplets and contact with an infected person. Symptoms such as fever, cough, vomiting, and shortness of breath may be present in patients with both diseases. COVID-

FAQs

What was the study designed to investigate?

The study explored the association between COVID-19 infection, COVID-19 vaccination, and the development of active TB, and looked for existing patterns.

How were tuberculosis cases diagnosed in this study?

TB diagnosis used Ziehl-Neelsen microscopy for acid-fast bacilli, culture with MGIT-960, and molecular testing with GeneXpert MTB/RIF.

What did the study find regarding COVID-19 vaccination and active TB?

No association was found between COVID-19 vaccination and subsequent development of active TB, and the logistic regression result was not statistically significant (p>0.05).

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Liam