We conducted a population-based study of tuberculosis (TB) cases in Dourados, Brazil, to assess the relationship between incarceration and TB in the general population. Incarceration was associated with TB in an urban population; 54% of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains were related to strains from persons in prisons. TB control in prisons is critical for reducing disease prevalence.
Keywords: Brazil; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; bacteria; case–control study; community transmission; epidemiology; genotyping; prisoners; reservoir; tuberculosis and other mycobacteria.