Tuberculosis cases linked to Market Street strip club prompt contact tracing

Overview

Updated 2 hours ago

Two people in San Francisco have active tuberculosis, and health officials are tracing both cases to a Market Street strip club. The city's health department confirmed the link Thursday and has been contacting people who may have been exposed.

Officials say the risk to the general public is low right now. But TB bacteria grow slowly, so someone exposed could test negative for weeks, and the tracing effort may run for months.

Why it matters

People who visited the club in recent months may need testing, and slow-growing TB means a first negative result can flip positive weeks later.

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Key Indicators

Active TB cases linked to the club

The health department confirmed both on October 22 and is tracing contacts.

TB cases reported citywide in 2025

San Francisco typically records 60 to 90 active cases per year.

60-90

Typical annual range of SF TB cases

The city's baseline caseload, mostly among residents born outside the US.

Years the Crazy Horse has operated at 980 Market

The venue opened in 1994 next to the Warfield Theater.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

People Involved

Dr. Abraar Karan

Infectious disease faculty member, Stanford University

Commenting publicly on TB transmission risk

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong

Professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist, UCSF

Cautioning against calling the cases an outbreak

Organizations Involved

San Francisco Department of Public Health

City agency

Investigating two active TB cases and conducting contact tracing

San Francisco's public health agency, running contact tracing for the two tuberculosis cases.

Crazy Horse Gentlemen's Club

Adult entertainment venue

Site of suspected TB exposure under investigation

An adult club at 980 Market Street, next to the Warfield Theater, open seven nights a week.

Timeline

2 events Latest: Yesterday

October 2026
Health department confirms second case, both linked to club
Latest Public Health

SFDPH confirmed two active TB cases associated with the Crazy Horse and said contact tracing is ongoing. Public risk was assessed as low.
Yesterday
First TB case reported to health officials
Public Health

The San Francisco Department of Public Health was notified of a confirmed active TB case tied to the Crazy Horse.
October 2026

Scenarios

Additional cases surface as contact tracing returns results

Possible Resolves by Feb 1, 2027

Discussed by: UCSF's Peter Chin-Hong told NBC Bay Area that tests will be repeated over weeks because TB grows slowly.

If contact tracing identifies exposed people who convert to active TB, the health department would report more cases tied to the club. That would signal ongoing transmission in a crowded, late-night venue and widen the testing net.

Cluster stays at two cases; investigation closes

Likely Resolves by Feb 1, 2027

Discussed by: SFDPH said the risk to the public is low, and Chin-Hong cautioned against assuming an outbreak.

If contact tracing finds no new active or latent infections, SFDPH would close the investigation with the two cases as an isolated pair. This is the common pattern for TB clusters in settings where exposure is prolonged but not universal.

Cases ruled to have been contracted elsewhere

Possible Resolves by Feb 1, 2027

Discussed by: Chin-Hong noted the two cases might not have been acquired at the club at all.

If testing and interviews show both people were infected in other settings, the health department would drop the club association. The cases would be recorded as separate infections rather than a cluster.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1900-1945

Tuberculosis in America before antibiotics (1900-1945)

Tuberculosis was the leading cause of death in the United States at the start of the 20th century. Sanatoriums isolated patients, and the disease only receded after antibiotics arrived in the 1940s.

Then

Antibiotics and systematic screening programs brought cases down sharply over the following decades.

Now

TB became a rare, reportable disease in the US, but clusters still appear in congregate settings and each one triggers a public health response.

Why this matters now

In a city that now records only 60 to 90 TB cases a year, a pair of linked cases still prompts full contact tracing — a reminder that the response rests on slow, careful testing.

March 2020

COVID-19 indoor superspreader events (2020)

Early in the pandemic, clusters traced to crowded indoor venues showed how efficiently airborne disease spreads in poorly ventilated spaces with close contact.

Then

Contact tracing and ventilation upgrades became standard public health tools.

Now

Public attention to indoor air quality and airborne transmission persisted after the pandemic.

Why this matters now

The same logic sits behind the TB investigation: a club open until 4 a.m. with close contact is exactly the setting where airborne bacteria travel furthest.