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San Francisco investigates two active TB cases connected to Crazy Horse club
City health officials are tracing contacts after two people with active tuberculosis were linked to the Crazy Horse on mid-Market Street. Officials say the risk to the broader public is low, and it is not yet known whether the people were employees or patrons.
San Francisco public health officials are investigating two cases of active tuberculosis connected to the Crazy Horse strip club on mid-Market Street, with contact tracing underway to identify people who may have been exposed.
The first case was reported in early October, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The department has not said whether either person worked at the club or visited as a patron.
“A contact tracing effort led by the Department was initiated to identify additional cases and prevent further spread,” a department spokesperson said. “These efforts are ongoing and at this time, the risk to the general public is low.”
Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria and spreads through the air when someone with active TB releases infectious particles, often by coughing. Exposure does not always lead to illness: latent TB can remain in the body for years without symptoms and cannot be transmitted, though it may later become active. Active TB can cause symptoms such as fever, cough and weight loss.
Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco, said transmission can happen relatively quickly in a poorly ventilated room. Both latent and active TB can be treated, though treatment typically involves antibiotics taken for months.
Health departments investigate active cases to find and notify people who may have been exposed. Gandhi said officials can ask contacts to get tested and, when needed to protect public health, require treatment or isolation.
The investigation comes as San Francisco continues to report more TB than California overall. The city recorded 9.3 cases per 100,000 residents in 2025, compared with the state rate of 5.4 per 100,000. A separate outbreak at Archbishop Riordan High School last fall resulted in eight active cases and 244 diagnoses of latent TB.