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Tuberculosis is an infectious disease usually caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs. It spreads through the air when people with active TB cough, sneeze or spit. Typical symptoms of active pulmonary TB include coughing, chest pain, and coughing up blood. While most infections result in latent infection, active disease can damage organs and cause death if left untreated. Prevention focuses on identifying infections through testing and treating TB patients and their contacts, as well as vaccinating children.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
69 views3 pages

Health

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease usually caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs. It spreads through the air when people with active TB cough, sneeze or spit. Typical symptoms of active pulmonary TB include coughing, chest pain, and coughing up blood. While most infections result in latent infection, active disease can damage organs and cause death if left untreated. Prevention focuses on identifying infections through testing and treating TB patients and their contacts, as well as vaccinating children.

Uploaded by

Justine Masagnay
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, MTB or TB (short for tubercle bacillus) is a common and in many cases lethal infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacterium, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body. It is spread through the air when people who have an active MTB infection cough, sneeze, or otherwise transmit their saliva through the air. Most infections in humans result in an asymptomatic, latent infection, and about one in ten latent infections eventually progresses to active disease, which, if left untreated, kills more than 50% of its victims.

CAUSES
The main cause of TB, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), is a small aerobic non-motile bacillus. High lipid content of this pathogen accounts for many of its unique clinical characteristics. It divides every 16 to 20 hours, an extremely slow rate compared with other bacteria, which usually divide in less than an hour. Since MTB has a cell wall but lacks a phospholipid outer membrane, it is classified as a Grampositivebacterium. However, if a Gram stain is performed, MTB either stains very weakly Gram-positive or does not retain dye as a result of the highlipid & mycolic acid content of its cell wall. MTB can withstand weak disinfectants and survive in a dry state for weeks. In nature, the bacterium can grow only within the cells of a host organism, but M. tuberculosis can be cultured in vitro. Using histological stains on expectorate samples from phlegm (also called sputum), scientists can identify MTB under a regular microscope. Since MTB retains certain stains after being treated with acidic solution, it is classified as an acid-fast bacillus (AFB). The most common acid-fast staining technique, the ZiehlNeelsen stain, dyes AFBs a bright red that stands out clearly against a blue background. Other ways to visualize AFBs include an auramine-rhodamine stain and fluorescent microscopy. The M. tuberculosis complex includes four other TB-causing mycobacteria: M. bovis, M. africanum, M. canetti and M. microti. M. africanumis not widespread, but in parts of Africa it is a significant cause of tuberculosis. M. bovis was once a common cause of tuberculosis, but the introduction of pasteurized milk has largely eliminated this as a public health problem in developed countries. M. canetti is rare and seems to be limited to Africa, although a few cases have been seen in African emigrants M. microti is mostly seen in immunodeficient people, although it is possible that the prevalence of this pathogen has been underestimated. Other known pathogenic mycobacteria include Mycobacterium leprae, Mycobacterium avium and M. kansasii. The latter two are part of the nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) group. Nontuberculous mycobacteria cause neither TB nor leprosy, but they do cause pulmonary diseases resembling TB.

EFFECTS
The damaging effects of tuberculosis (TB), in particular when it is undiagnosed and / or untreated, can be potentially devastating. TB can result in death. In fact, tuberculosis has been a major killer, especially in less developed countries, for many years. Tuberculosis is a contagious disease that most commonly affects the lungs and respiratory tract. This is the reason it is usually referred to as a fatal lung or respiratory disease. Since this disease spreads through blood, it also affects other vital human body parts. Undiagnosed, delayed, or untreated tuberculosis can cause serious damage to the human body and in some cases; tuberculosis can be responsible for permanent lung damage. Other parts of the human body affected by tuberculosis include the central nervous system, causing damage to the brain, circulatory system, lymphatic system affecting the lymph nodes, intestines, bones, joints, and skin. In infants, especially below the age of 1, the effects of tuberculosis meningitis can be extremely dangerous and prove to be fatal. This is mostly because infants in this age group have not developed immunity and cannot fight the disease-causing bacteria. Quite a sizeable population of the world - an estimated 1/3rd the world population - are said to be exposed to the tuberculosis bacteria at some point in time. But not all that are exposed to the disease-causing bacteria actually develop tuberculosis. A few might have latent tuberculosis infection, which does not spread; however, a small percentage of these latent tuberculosis infections could convert into active tuberculosis, especially when the persons immunity levels are low. If this condition goes undiagnosed and therefore untreated, it could result in death. People suffering from HIV / AIDS infection, therefore, need to be extremely careful, since exposure to the bacteria and or catching the infection can prove to be life-threatening if not treated immediately and effectively. The effects of tuberculosis on pregnant women can also be dangerous. Pregnant women diagnosed with tuberculosis must be treated on an emergency and immediate basis, preventing the disease affecting the mother and also spreading to the baby, putting both at risk to the life-threatening condition. If tuberculosis goes undiagnosed and untreated, it can result in death, therefore it is important to diagnose, treat, and cure people at the earliest. Be aware of the fact that relapses can occur if treatment is discontinued or not followed diligently. The best way to mitigate any potential effects of tuberculosis is to make sure ones body and its immune system is well and strong. This can be done by living well and eating well. Read our good health habits for some tips.

Symptoms
When the disease becomes active, 75% of the cases involve infection in the lungs (pulmonary TB). Symptoms include chest pain, coughing up blood, and a productive, prolonged cough for more than three weeks. Systemic symptoms include fever, chills, night sweats, appetite loss, weight loss, pallor, and fatigue. In the other 25% of active cases, the infection moves from the lungs, causing other kinds of TB, collectively denoted extrapulmonary tuberculosis. This occurs more commonly inimmunosuppressed persons and young children. Extrapulmonary infection sites include the pleura in tuberculous pleurisy, the central nervous system in meningitis, the lymphatic system in scrofula of the neck, the genitourinary system in urogenital tuberculosis, and bones and joints in Pott's disease of the spine. An especially serious form is disseminated TB, more commonly known as miliary tuberculosis. Extrapulmonary TB may co-exist with pulmonary TB.

Prevention
TB prevention and control takes two parallel approaches. In the first, people with TB and their contacts are identified and then treated. Identification of infections often involves testing high-risk groups for TB. In the second approach, children are vaccinated to protect them from TB. No vaccine is available that provides reliable protection for adults. However, in tropical areas where the levels of other species of mycobacteria are high, exposure to nontuberculous mycobacteria gives some protection against TB. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared TB a global health emergency in 1993, and the Stop TB Partnership developed a Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis that aims to save 14 million lives between 2006 and 2015. Since humans are the only host of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, eradication would be possible. This goal would be helped greatly by an effective vaccine.

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