National case definition: Tuberculosis

Date of last revision/review: January 2019

National notification

All laboratory-confirmed and clinically-diagnosed cases should be notified to the federal level.
Whether treatment was started or not, there should be notification of all cases of tuberculosis diagnosed in Canada in the following groups:

• Canadian citizens
• permanent residents
• refugees
• refugee claimants

For temporary residents (visitors, students and people granted work permits) and foreign nationals who are in Canada illegally, notification is to be done only for cases for whom treatment was started in Canada. The province/territory where treatment starts is to be responsible for notification.

New and re-treatment cases of tuberculosis

New case

No documented evidence or adequate history of previously active tuberculosis

Re-treatment case^{Footnote *}

• Documented evidence or adequate history of previously active TB that was declared cured or treatment completed by current standards

  and

• At least 6 months have passed since the last day of previous treatment^{Footnote †}

  and

• Diagnosed with a subsequent episode of TB that meets the active TB case definition

  or

• Documented evidence or adequate history of previously active TB that cannot be declared cured or treatment completed by current standards

  and

• Inactive^{Footnote ‡} for 6 months or longer after the last day of previous treatment^{Footnote †}

  and

• Diagnosed with a subsequent episode of TB that meets the active TB case definition

Type of surveillance

Routine case-by-case notification to the federal level

Case classification

Laboratory confirmed case

• A person on whom laboratory testing has detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (excluding M. bovis BCG strain) on culture;

  or

• A person on whom laboratory testing has detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (excluding M. bovis BCG strain) by nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) and with clinical findings consistent with TB disease.

Clinically diagnosed case

A person for whom microbiological confirmation of active tuberculosis is absent and who meets one or more of the following criteria^{Footnote x}:

• Signs or symptoms clinically compatible with active tuberculosis (respiratory or nonrespiratory);
• Diagnostic imaging findings compatible with active tuberculosis (respiratory or non-respiratory imaging);
• Pathologic evidence of active tuberculosis (e.g. compatible histopathology, positive AFB staining);
• Post-mortem evidence of active tuberculosis;
• Favourable response to a therapeutic trial of antituberculosis drugs.

Clinical evidence

See above

ICD code(s)

6.1 ICD-9 code(s)

010, 010.0, 010.1, 010.8, 010.9, 011, 011.0 - 011.9, 012, 012.0-012.3, 012.8, 013, 013.0, 013.1, 013.2, 013.3, 013.8, 013.9, 014, 014.0, 014.1, 014.8, 015, 015.0-015.2, 015.5-015.9, 016, 016.0­016.4, 016.7, 016.9, 017, 017.0-017.8, 018, 018.0, 018.8, 018.9, 137.0-137.4

6.2 ICD-10 code(s)

A15, A15.0-15.9, A16, A16.0-A16.9, A17, A17.0, A17.1, A17.8, A17.9, A18, A18.0-A18.8, A19, A19.0, A19.1, A19.2, A19.8, A19.9

Type of international reporting

Enhanced reporting to WHO by member countries