Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This is a potentially serious infectious disease that mainly affects your lung but can be spread through the lymph nodes and bloodstream to any organ in your body. Once rare in developed countries, tuberculosis infections began increasing in 1985, partly because of the emergence of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. HIV weakens a person’s immune system so it can’t fight the TB germs.
The bacteria that cause tuberculosis is spread from one person to another through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected. Most people who are exposed to TB never develop symptoms because the bacteria can live in an inactive form in the body. But if the immune system weakens, such as in people with HIV or elderly adults, TB bacteria can become active.
Many strains of tuberculosis resist the drugs most used to treat the disease. People with active tuberculosis must take several types of medications for many months to eradicate the infection and prevent development of antibiotic resistance.
Latent TB Infection
TB bacteria can live in the body without making you sick. This is called latent TB infection. In most people who breathe in TB bacteria and become infected, the body is able to fight the bacteria to stop them from growing. People with latent TB infection do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms. People with latent TB infection are not infectious and cannot spread TB bacteria to others. However, if TB bacteria become active in the body and multiply, the person will go from having latent TB infection to being sick with TB disease.
TB Disease
TB bacteria become active if the immune system can’t stop them from growing. When TB bacteria are active (multiplying in your body), this is called TB disease. People with TB disease are sick. They may also be able to spread the bacteria to people they spend time with every day.
Many people who have latent TB infection never develop TB disease. Some people develop TB disease soon after becoming infected (within weeks) before their immune system can fight the TB bacteria. Other people may get sick years later when their immune system becomes weak for another reason.
TB disease has resurfaced in potent new forms — multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB. Today, these new and dangerous forms of the disease — resistant to some of the commonly used drug treatments — have created a public health crisis in many large cities worldwide. If you have TB — in its active or latent state — you must seek medical treatment.
Symptoms
- a bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
- pain in the chest
- coughing up blood or sputum
- weakness or fatigue
- weight loss
- no appetite
- chills
- fever
- sweating at night
Testing for TB
There are two kinds of tests that are used to screen for TB bacteria in the body: the TB skin test (TST) and TB blood tests. If you have a positive reaction to either of the tests. PCR tests will confirm the presences of the Bacteria.
Test options
TB Interferon: TB Screen with blood
MTB : PCR Detection of Tubercolosis in sputum
Learn more about Tubercolosis
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tuberculosis.html
http://www.who.int/topics/tuberculosis/en/
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-tuberculosis-basics
