Traveling abroad may significantly raise your TB risk. A new study found that Asian American patients who traveled internationally between TB tests had nearly twice the odds of testing positive for TB infection compared to those who stayed home. Researchers say the findings support incorporating travel history into risk-based TB screening strategies.
A new study out of a San Francisco Bay Area health center found that international travel nearly doubles the odds of tuberculosis (TB) test conversion among Asian American patients — meaning their TB test flips from negative to positive, signaling a new infection. While overall conversion rates were low (about 3% of routine testers), the link to travel was notable, with most trips heading to East or Southeast Asian countries.
The retrospective study analyzed over a decade of data (2010–2022) from nearly 5,700 patients, the vast majority of Asian descent. Researchers matched 119 test converters with 338 non-converters and found that those with documented international travel had 95% higher odds of conversion. Of those who converted, 100 received a latent TB infection diagnosis, but only 57% started treatment — and just 65% of those completed it.
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Why it matters: TB remains a global health concern, and this study highlights travel as a meaningful — and often overlooked — risk factor. For clinicians serving immigrant or frequently traveling populations, adding travel history to TB screening protocols could help catch infections earlier and prevent progression to active disease.
