AMARILLO, TEXAS -- An inmate who died at the Potter County Detention Center last week is confirmed to have had a type of tuberculosis.
There is no threat, according to health officials, to the general public. However, anyone who visited the jail after May 31 should be tested, officials said.
The inmate, who officials are not yet identifying, died early last Wednesday, August 15. Authorities said he did not show regular symptoms of tuberculosis.
"This particular patient had symptoms that were not commonly associated with classic TB cases based on the information available, making the initial diagnosis and investigation more difficult," said Dr. Roger Smalligan, Health Authority for the Amarillo Bi-City-County Health District.
An autopsy was ordered and indicated widespread tuberculosis in the inmate's body, officials said.
The type of tuberculosis he had, according to officials, was military tuberculosis and it is not considered to be highly contagious.
Officials said they have an investigation ongoing to determine the source of the TB. Potter County said it is following the Centers for Disease Control's guidelines for correctional centers.
Only those who may have potentially had direct contact with the inmate are being tested. Officials said it was a unique case because the inmate had a compromised immune system.
"Based on preliminary findings, we believe that this patient had a unique type of infection due to an underlying medical condition that caused his infection to worsen over time," said said Dr. Roger Smalligan. "While the TB bacteria is the same, it can affect some people differently, particularly those who have compromised immune systems."
Any questions about potential exposure to the inmate can be directed to the Public Health Department at (806) 378-6300. More information is also available here.
"The Health Department has been in contact with local and state experts in TB infections and investigations since the initial autopsy and lab reports were released Monday," said Dr. Matt Richardson, Director of Public Health for the district. "We are following the standard Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for TB investigations in correctional facilities and we continue to work closely with the Potter County Sheriff's Office and Detention Center to determine who could be at risk and make sure we test them. While this is a serious exposure, it is important to remember that TB is easily treatable and very rarely fatal when diagnosed early."
