Scientists have long debated the dynamics of how tuberculosis spreads in people, including whether MDR-TB is as likely to spread as drug-sensitive TB. The epidemiologists behind this study hope that answering the question will better equip public health professionals to stop tuberculosis in all its forms. Researchers have already published some results of the study and expect more to come out this year, including the relative transmissibility of MDR-TB and drug-sensitive TB.
“When we designed this study almost 10 years ago, no one had actually measured TB transmission in people,” said Megan Murray, the Harvard epidemiologist leading the study. “We wanted to do a really systematic study where we observed what happened in people exposed in drug-resistant cases and drug sensitive-cases. We hope this will close the door on the discussion.”