Air pollution and TB transmission in Kampala’s urban slums
Official title: Air Pollution Effects on Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Urban Slum Community in Uganda
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11579140 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether air pollution from PM2.5 makes tuberculosis spread more easily from infected people to their neighbors in urban slums of Kampala, Uganda.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 15, 2012 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $43,785 |
| NIH project number | 3R01ES020382-10S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11579140 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Household contacts of TB index cases and residents of high TB incidence urban slums in Kampala, Uganda, with exposure to air pollution.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals not exposed to TB or not part of a TB household contact study may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
If PM2.5 exposure affects how TB spreads, this study will track TB patients and their household contacts in a high-incidence area to see if pollution increases infectiousness and susceptibility. Researchers have found PM2.5 can dampen immune responses, and this project tests whether such pollution also boosts TB transmission through cleaner aerosols and more coughing. The work combines environmental measurements with health data to understand transmission dynamics in a real-world setting. Findings could help tailor public health actions to protect vulnerable communities from TB.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of how pollution influences TB spread could lead to targeted interventions to reduce transmission in crowded urban areas.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows air pollution can alter immunity; this study extends to transmission dynamics in humans and is preliminary in this specific setting.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schwander, Stephan K — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Schwander, Stephan K
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.