XDR-TB in the U.S.

Unsurprisingly XDR-TB has finally made its way into the US by means of an air flight. The infected individual had travelled through Europe recently. The main issue is that he spent a number of hours in an evironment where the cabin air was recirculated. The CDC and other health authorities are tracking down potential contacts for follow-up. While indivdual risk may be low, a lot depends on the state of health of other passengers in the plane. We have seen TB spread on ships where crew were exposed to recirculated air, although often for days or weeks, not just a few hours.