The Association of Latent Tuberculosis Infection with Air Pollutant Exposure, Meteorological and Other Factors: A Retrospective Study in Eastern China of College Students.

Objective: The associations between meteorological factors, air pollutant indicators, and latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) have not yet been confirmed. This study aimed to assess the association of meteorological factors, air pollutant indicators, and other factors with LTBI among college students.

Methods: We selected 5,193 freshmen randomly who originated from key tuberculosis areas in nine colleges in Nanjing. We ranked the importance of independent variables using Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression and random forest models. We then conducted a multi-model analysis after incorporating them into the prediction model. In addition, we adopted a calibration curve to determine the quality of the model. A nomogram was used to evaluate the possibility of using multiple models to predict LTBI risk.

Results: We found that higher outdoor PM₁₀ concentrations (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.10-1.65) was associated with LTBI. A history of allergies (OR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.16-1.62) and coal-based fuels (OR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.11-1.87) had a positive correlation with the occurrence of LTBI. Taking vitamin D supplements (OR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.69-0.98) could reduce the risk of LTBI. Besides, age (OR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.00-1.22) were significantly associated with strong positive populations.

Conclusion: Higher outdoor PM₁₀ concentration, history of allergies, and use of coal-based fuels were positively correlated with the occurrence of LTBI. Vitamin D supplementation might reduce the risk of LTBI. Besides, older people were more likely to contribute to strong positive results.