Members of Club in San Diego Warned of Possible Tuberculosis Exposure

Earlier this year, the County of San Diego’s TB Control Branch of the Health and Human Services Agency sent a letter to a popular social club warning its members that they may have been in contact with an individual who had tuberculosis (TB). The letter encourages people that participated in social/community activities in the club’s San Diego facility between the dates of August 2, 2018 to November 30, 2018 to take a TB test.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB, can be spread from a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat through the air from one person to another when they cough, sneeze, speak or sing. This occurs when people nearby breathe in the bacteria and then become infected. This is why the transmission of tuberculosis can be a significant risk in healthcare environments and other crowded places where many people share the same space for extended periods of time.

Approximately one third of the world’s population is infected with the tuberculosis bacteria according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However, only a small proportion of those infected will become sick with TB as most people who breathe in the bacteria and become infected have a strong enough immune system to fight it and stop it from growing in their bodies. When Mycobacterium tuberculosis lives in the body without making a person sick it is called latent TB infection.

“Globally, TB is still one of the top 10 causes of death,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager of LA Testing’s Huntington Beach facility. “At LA Testing our network of scientists and indoor air quality experts work diligently to help stop the spread of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by offering highly sensitive real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) techniques to identify the bacterium from air samples collected on special filter cassettes. This service can be especially valuable when testing infection control procedures in highly sensitive environments.”

LA Testing has also sponsored an educational video about Mycobacterium tuberculosis and how it spreads that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/u2BsgRPc_Cw.

To learn more about environmental testing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis or other microbial pathogens and indoor air quality contaminants, please visit www.LATesting.com, email  info@LATesting.com  or call (800) 755-1794.


About LA Testing
LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash and smoke damage, particulates and other chemicals. In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: AIHA LAP LLC., AIHA ELLAP, AIHA EMLAP and AIHA IHLAP, CDC ELITE, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health and other states. LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Huntington Beach, San Leandro and San Diego.

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