Background and objectives: The results of recent molecular-epidemiologic studies give reason to believe that the risk for tuberculosis healthcare workers has been underestimated in the past. An extensive literature review concerning the risk of tuberculosis for healthcare workers was done. Methods: Taken into consideration were studies from regions with a low tuberculosis prevalence. Special emphasis was given to fingerprint studies. Results: From the studies using fingerprinting it can be concluded that the proportion of new infections of all tuberculosis cases in healthcare workers is higher (30-40%) than it was believed so far (10%). The Hamburg fingerprint study revealed 80% (95% confidence intervall (CI) 44-97%) of all tuberculosis cases in healthcare workers to be cause by new infections acquired at the workplace. Besides of institutions treating patients with tuberculosis or laboratories examining smears for tuberculosis, an elevated risk for tuberculosis can be assumed for paramedics, the stuff in emergency rooms, and professionals working with members of high risk groups (homeless people, drug addicts, immigrants from regions with a high prevalence of tuberculosis). In future an increased risk for tuberculosis is assumed for these workers. Conclusion: Therefore, when deciding putative claims of an occupational disease, an index case (e.g. a patient with tuberculosis) is no longer required for these health care workers for accepting their claims.