BACKGROUND: Millions of individuals at risk of tuberculosis are given tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) annually. However, questions remain regarding the duration of protection from TPT and potential variability across populations and settings with disparate tuberculosis risk. We aimed to assess the effect of TPT on time to tuberculosis among close contacts of individuals with tuberculosis and with evidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection across high-burden, medium-burden, and low-burden settings.
METHODS: In this systematic review and individual-participant meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, BIOSIS, and Embase for cohort studies and randomised controlled trials published between Jan 1, 1998, and Aug 28, 2023. Studies were eligible if they included individuals (of any age) with household or close exposure to a person with microbiologically or clinically diagnosed tuberculosis (contacts); had at least 6 months of contact follow-up from baseline;...