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Previous Volume 331:643-648 September 8, 1994 Number 10 Next

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ABSTRACT

Background In the United States many correctional facilities now operate at far over capacity, with the potential for living conditions that permit outbreaks of respiratory infections. We investigated an outbreak that was identified in an overcrowded Houston jail after two inmates died of pneumococcal sepsis on the same day. Outbreaks of pneumococcal disease have been rare in the era of antibiotics.

Methods We assessed risk factors for pneumococcal disease in both a case-control and a cohort study. Ventilation was evaluated by measuring carbon dioxide levels and air flow to the living areas of the jail. The extent of asymptomatic infection was determined by culturing pharyngeal specimens from a random sample of inmates. Type-specific immunity was determined with an enzyme immunoassay.

Results Over a four-week period, 46 inmates had either acute pneumonia or invasive pneumococcal disease due to Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 12F. The jail's capacity had been set at 3500 inmates, but it housed 6700 at the time of the outbreak; the inmates had a median living area of only 34 ft² (3.2 m²) (interquartile range, 28 to 56 ft² [2.6 to 5.2 m²]) per person. There were significantly fewer cases of disease among inmates with 80 ft² (7.4 m²) per person or more (P = 0.030). Carbon dioxide levels ranged from 1100 to 2500 ppm (acceptable, <1000), and the ventilation system delivered a median of only 6.1 ft³ of outside air per minute per person (interquartile range, 4.4 to 8.5 ft³; recommended, 20 ft³). The attack rate was highest among inmates in cells with the highest carbon dioxide levels and the lowest volume of outside air delivered by the ventilation system (relative risk, 1.94; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.08 to 3.48). Of underlying medical conditions, intravenous drug use was most strongly associated with disease (odds ratio, 4.50). The epidemic strain (serotype 12F) was cultured from 7 percent of the asymptomatic inmates. Of 11 case patients tested with the enzyme immunoassay, 9 (82 percent) lacked preexisting immunity to this strain.

Conclusions Severe overcrowding, inadequate ventilation, and altered host susceptibility all contributed to this outbreak of pneumococcal disease in a large urban jail. .

Source Information

From the Respiratory Diseases Branch, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta (C.W.H., M.R.R., T.D.M., J.A.E., R.R.F., R.F.B.); the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine (E.A.D., D.M.M.) and the Harris County Health Department (J.C.B.), Houston; and the Texas Department of Health, Austin (K.A.H.). A preliminary report of the outbreak appeared elsewhere. (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1989;38:733-4.)

Address reprint requests to Dr. Breiman at the Childhood and Respiratory Diseases Branch (Mailstop C09), DBMD, NCID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333.

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