This study investigated the social mixing patterns of tuberculosis (TB) patients who regularly consume alcohol using a quantitative social network approach. A social network survey of 300 newly diagnosed pulmonary drug-sensitive TB patients in Chennai, India, revealed that 52 (17%) male TB patients regularly shared alcohol with 106 (4%) of their first-degree social contacts in 16 neighborhood venues. Contacts with regular alcohol use had a higher TB diagnosis rate (12.3%) compared to those without (3.5%). Social network analysis showed that the network incorporating venues had stronger transmission potential than the patient-contact network alone.
