• Braganza MenezesDarrylDUniversity Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust, Hawthorne House, Heartlands Hospital, Bordesley Green East, Birmingham, UK, B9 5SS., Bunota Menezes, and Martin Dedicoat.
• University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust, Hawthorne House, Heartlands Hospital, Bordesley Green East, Birmingham, UK, B9 5SS.
• Cochrane Db Syst Rev. 2019 Aug 28; 8: CD013077.

BackgroundTuberculosis is an infectious bacterial disease that is spread via respiratory droplets from infected individuals to susceptible contacts. To eliminate this disease from low- and medium-incidence settings, people who are most likely to be infected (contacts) must be identified. Recently, study authors have examined alternate approaches to contact tracing methods that demonstrate improved detection and prioritization of contacts. The comparative benefit of these methods has not been established.ObjectivesTo assess the effectiveness of novel methods of contact tracing versus current standard of care to identify latent and active cases in low- to moderate-incidence settings.Search MethodsWe searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, Web of Science, and CINAHL up to 15 July 2019. We also searched for clinical trials and examined reference lists and conference proceedings.Selection CriteriaRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster-RCTs of contact tracing strategies that included alternate approaches (other than standard practice).Data Collection And AnalysisTwo review authors independently assessed identified articles for eligibility and quality using prespecified criteria.Main ResultsNo trials met the inclusion criteria of this review. Several study authors described an alternate method for examining contacts and performing social network analysis but did not compare this with the current contact tracing approach.Authors' ConclusionsThis Cochrane Review highlights the lack of research in support of the current contact tracing method and the need for RCTs to compare new methods such as social network analysis to improve contact tracing processes.

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