Systematic Review of Contact Investigation Costs for Tuberculosis, United States

Abstract

Contact investigation is a fundamental component of tu- berculosis (TB) programs that drives prompt diagnosis and treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among those exposed. Few studies have examined contact investigation costs for TB. We conducted a sys- tematic review of TB contact investigation costs in the United States by searching English-language articles published during January 1990–August 2024 in electron- ic databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus. We identified 2,920 titles and abstracts; 10 studies met our inclusion criteria. We abstracted costs for labor, diagnostic tests, and chest radiographs. La- bor cost per contact was estimated at $175.94 (range $79.97–$293.51); total cost, including diagnostic testing and chest radiography, was $228.93 (range $132.95–$346.49).The overall cost of contact investigation in the United States was $9.94 (range $5.77–$15.04) million in 2022; total cost during 2013–2022 was $137.35 million. Contact investigations are essential to prevent TB and avert TB-related labor and diagnostic costs.