Air pollution and tuberculosis spread in Kampala, Uganda
Official title: Air Pollution Effects on Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Urban Slum Community in Uganda
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11579144 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether dirty air from PM2.5 particles makes tuberculosis more likely to spread within urban slum households in 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) | $41,982 |
| NIH project number | 3R01ES020382-10S3 |
| Project ID | NIH-11579144 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants include households in high TB incidence urban slums in Kampala, Uganda, where someone has or recently had TB and air pollution exposure is measurable.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals in areas outside the study setting or without TB exposure are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you live in a crowded urban slum, dirty air could affect how TB spreads from an infected person to family members. Researchers will study PM2.5 exposure and how it might increase coughing and the amount of TB bacteria in aerosols from someone with TB, as well as how it may weaken immune defenses in household contacts. The study builds on prior findings about air pollution and immune responses to TB and will focus on transmission dynamics in a high-risk community. Outcomes will inform public health strategies to reduce TB transmission where air quality is poor.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to better prevention efforts and policies to reduce TB spread in polluted urban communities.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests PM2.5 can impact immune responses to TB and may influence transmission, but direct transmission studies in slums are limited.
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
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Coronary disease and immune activation in people with HIV and tuberculosis coinfection
This research looks at how having HIV and latent tuberculosis together might raise the risk of heart disease, and what immune changes are involved.
-
Pulmonary rehabilitation to reduce breathing problems after tuberculosis
A program of guided exercise and breathing training to help adults who have recovered from TB breathe better and feel healthier.
-
Pulmonary rehab to reduce breathing troubles after TB
A program of pulmonary rehabilitation is being studied to help adults who have completed TB treatment avoid ongoing lung problems and improve daily breathing.
-
Air pollution and TB spread in Ugandan urban slums
This project explores whether exposure to air pollution makes tuberculosis more likely to spread within households in a crowded Ugandan slum.
-
Air pollution and TB transmission in Kampala’s urban slums
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.
-
Transdiagnostic therapy to improve mental health and TB treatment outcomes in India
A doctor-research team will test a flexible mental health therapy called CETA to help people with tuberculosis who also struggle with depression and unhealthy alcohol use, aiming to improve their TB treatment success.
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.