What is tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a chronic, progressive mycobacterial infection, often with an asymptomatic latent period following initial infection. Tuberculosis most commonly affects the lungs. Symptoms include productive cough, fever, weight loss, and malaise. Diagnosis is most often by sputum smear and culture and, when available, by nucleic acid amplification tests. Treatment is with multiple antimicrobial drugs given for at least 4 months. (See also Perinatal Tuberculosis (TB) Tuberculosis can be acquired during the perinatal period. Symptoms and signs are nonspecific. Diagnosis is by culture and sometimes x-ray and biopsy. Treatment is with isoniazid and other antituberculous... read more and Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis (TB) Tuberculosis outside the lung usually results from hematogenous dissemination. Sometimes infection directly extends from an adjacent organ. Symptoms vary by site but generally include fever... read more .) Mycobacteria are small, slow-growing, aerobic bacilli. They are distinguished by a complex, lipid-rich cell envelope that makes them acid-fast (ie, resistant to decolorization by acid after staining with carbolfuchsin) and relatively resistant to Gram stain. The most common mycobacterial infection is tuberculosis; others include Leprosy Leprosy is a chronic infection usually caused by the acid-fast bacilli Mycobacterium leprae or the closely related organism M. lepromatosis. These organisms have a unique tropism... read more and various environmental Nontuber...

Tuberculosis (TB) What is TB? Tuberculosis, or TB, is a bacterial infection that usually infects the lungs. Other organs, such as the kidneys, spine, or brain may also be involved. TB is primarily spread from person to person in an airborne manner, such as when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also cause an active infection after a period of not being active in someone who was exposed at an earlier time. There is a difference between being infected with the TB bacterium and having active tuberculosis disease. The following are the stages of TB: • Exposure. This happens when a person has been in contact with, or exposed to, another person who has TB. The exposed person will have a negative skin test, a normal chest X-ray, and no signs or symptoms of the disease. • Latent TB infection. This happens when a person has TB bacteria in his or her body, but does not have symptoms of the disease. The infected person's immune system walls off the TB organisms, and the TB remains inactive throughout life in most people who are infected. This person would have a positive skin test, but a normal chest X-ray. • TB disease. This describes the person who has signs and symptoms of an active infection. The person would have a positive skin test and a positive chest X-ray. What causes TB? The main TB bacterium is Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). Many people infected with this bacterium never develop active TB. They remain in the latent (inactive) TB stage. However, i...

TB Skin Test Many people who have TB don’t have any symptoms. They have what doctors call latent TB. The TB skin test, also known as the Mantoux tuberculin skin test, is the most common way doctors diagnose tuberculosis. They’ll inject a tiny amount of fluid called tuberculin just below the skin in your forearm. It contains some inactive TB protein. You should feel a small prick from the needle. You’ll go back to your doctor 2 or 3 days later, and a health care worker will see whether you’ve had a reaction. TB Skin Testing Results If you have a raised, hard bump or there's swelling on your arm, you have a positive test. That means TB germs are in your body. But it doesn't always mean you have active tuberculosis disease. Your doctor may do more tests to be sure. These could include If you don’t have a reaction (or if you have a very small one), your test is negative. You don't have TB germs in your body. But if you were infected recently, your If you've had a positive TB skin test in the past, you'll be expected to always test positive in the future. Once you have had a positive skin test, let your doctor know. They are usually not repeated because the swelling can be worse each time. Sometimes a doctor will repeat a TB skin test. The test might show you don't have TB when you do, especially if you were exposed a long time ago and your immune response to it is weak. Or you could get a false positive result if you've been vaccinated with the TB bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG...

Tuberculosis in the bones (including the spine) often progresses in the following stages: • Synovitis: Night pain and muscle spasms • Early arthritis: Joint pain, muscle spasms, some effect on daily function • Late arthritis: Increased pain and spasms, decreased function, over 75% loss of range of motion • Advanced arthritis with subluxation and dislocation: Deformity of the involved joints, severely reduced range of motion • Terminal arthritis: Joint becomes "fused" and no longer moves What Causes Spinal Tuberculosis? Spinal tuberculosis occurs when M. tuberculosis infects bones in the spine, called vertebrae. This bacterium spreads from person to person through the air. Tuberculosis in the lungs is very contagious, but tuberculosis in other areas of the body—including the spine—is not typically contagious. Once it passes from an infected person to another, it can spread from the lungs to other body parts, including the spine. In some cases, tuberculosis can be resistant to first-line medications used to treat this condition. Drug-resistant TB is difficult to manage and requires treatment by a medical expert. These cases can sometimes be treated with fluoroquinolone antibacterial drugs, but these medications have significant negative side effects. Surgery Spinal tuberculosis often requires surgery as part of treatment. The exact procedures used depend on the extent of bone damage. Prognosis for Spinal Tuberculosis Spinal tuberculosis that isn't treated can be fatal. Early...

Tuberculosis is an airborne disease caused by a very infectious bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It can travel through the blood to the lymph nodes and bones as well as the spine and joint. Tuberculosis and Its Types ‌Tuberculosis is a contagious disease, which means it can spread from one person to another. It's more common in developing countries, but about 7,163 cases were reported in the U.S. in 2020. Tuberculosis can be deadly. In many developing nations, children get the Bacille Calmette-Guerin or There are two main types of tuberculosis infections: • Pulmonary tuberculosis, which mainly involves your lungs. The infection can cause chest pain, trouble • Extrapulmonary tuberculosis, when tuberculosis affects areas of the body other than your lungs. This is more often seen in people who have weakened immune systems because of Extrapulmonary tuberculosis that affects your bones, spine, or joints is called bone or skeletal tuberculosis. Bone Tuberculosis ‌Bone tuberculosis affects your skeletal system, which consists of bones and joints. The most common type is spinal tuberculosis. This happens when the mycobacterium infection spreads into your spinal cord. Spinal tuberculosis is also called Pott’s disease. ‌ This type of tuberculosis is more common in underdeveloped countries. It accounts for 2.2% to 4.7% of the total tuberculosis cases in Europe and the U.S. Causes of Bone Tuberculosis ‌Skeletal tuberculosis is also caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Unl...

Some people who acquire Active TB typically causes many symptoms. While symptoms usually relate to the respiratory system, they could affect other parts of the body, depending on where the TB bacteria grow. Symptoms caused by TB in the • cough lasting more than 3 weeks • • chest pain General TB symptoms include: • unexplained • weakness • • • • • Along with general symptoms, TB that spreads to other organs can also cause: • • • nausea and vomiting, Risk factors that increase your chance of contracting the bacteria that causes TB disease include: • having • • using • a diagnosis of HIV or having another immune-system-compromising situation Medications that suppress the immune system can also put people at risk of developing active TB disease. These include medications that help prevent organ transplant rejection. Other medications that increase your risk of active TB include those taken to treat: • • • • • According to the Traveling to regions with high TB rates can also increase your risk of contracting the bacterial infection. These regions include: • sub-Saharan Africa • India • Mexico and other Latin American countries • China and many other Asian countries • parts of Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union • islands of Southeast Asia • Micronesia Many lower-income U.S. households have limited access to resources, including healthcare, needed to diagnose and treat TB, which puts them at greater risk of developing active TB disease. People experiencing home...