MedlinePlus: Tuberculosis

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- Infections
- Lungs and Breathing
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- Services and providers for Tuberculosis in the U.S.
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National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Tuberculosis is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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Tuberculosis

Also called: TB

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection caused by a germ called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but they can also damage other parts of the body. TB spreads through the air when a person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes or talks. If you have been exposed, you should go to your doctor for tests. You are more likely to get TB if you have a weak immune system.

Symptoms of TB in the lungs may include

A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
Weight loss
Coughing up blood or mucus
Weakness or fatigue
Fever and chills
Night sweats

If not treated properly, TB can be deadly. You can usually cure active TB by taking several medicines for a long period of time. People with latent TB can take medicine so that they do not develop active TB.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

Tuberculosis(Patient Education Institute)
Also available in Spanish
Tuberculosis (TB)(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
Tuberculosis: Getting Healthy, Staying Healthy(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - Large PDF file
Also available in Spanish

Basics	Learn More	Multimedia & Cool Tools
Overviews Latest News Diagnosis/Symptoms Treatment Prevention/Screening	Specific Conditions Related Issues	Tutorials Videos Games
Research	Reference Shelf	For You
Clinical Trials Research Journal Articles	Medical Encyclopedia Dictionaries/Glossaries Directories Organizations Statistics	Children Teenagers Women

Overviews
- JAMA Patient Page: Tuberculosis(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
- Questions and Answers about TB(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Tuberculosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Tuberculosis (TB)(American Lung Association)
Latest News
- New Antibiotic Could Shorten Tuberculosis Treatment(04/02/2009, HealthDay)
- HIV-Related TB Deaths Higher Than Past Estimates(03/24/2009, World Health Organization)
- Tuberculosis Still Declining in U.S., But at Slower Rate(03/19/2009, HealthDay)
- Antibiotic Combo Fights Resistant Tuberculosis(02/26/2009, HealthDay)
Diagnosis/Symptoms
- AFB Smear and Culture(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
- Chest X Ray(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Chest X-Ray (Radiography)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
  Also available in Spanish
- Diagnosis of Tuberculosis Disease(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- QuantiFERON-TB Gold Test(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Tuberculosis: Learn the Signs and Symptoms of TB Disease(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Treatment
- Staying on Track with TB Medicine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Large PDF file
- Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Tuberculosis: Treatment of Tuberculosis Infection(American Academy of Family Physicians)
  Also available in Spanish
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Prevention/Screening
- BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- TB Skin Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
- Tuberculosis Skin Test(American Lung Association)
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Specific Conditions
- Difference Between Latent TB Infection and Active TB Disease(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (XDR TB)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  Also available in Spanish
- Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis(American Lung Association)
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Related Issues
- Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM)(National Jewish Health)
- Tuberculosis: Health Information for International Travel(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Tuberculosis: The Connection between TB and HIV (the AIDS Virus)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Tutorials
- Tuberculosis(Patient Education Institute)
  Also available in Spanish
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Videos
- Do I Need a TB Test?(Healthy Roads Media)
  Also available in Spanish
- If I Had - Recurring Cough and Positive TB Test(Insidermedicine)
- TB and HIV - A Dangerous Partnership(Healthy Roads Media)
- What You Should Know about Taking Tuberculosis Medicines(Healthy Roads Media)
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Games
- Play the Tuberculosis Game(Nobel Foundation)
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Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Tuberculosis(National Institutes of Health)
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Research
- New Survey Finds Highest Rates of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (TB) to Date(World Health Organization)
- Tuberculosis (TB)(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Twenty years of pediatric tuberculous meningitis: a retrospective cohort study...
- Article: HIV care and treatment factors associated with improved survival during...
- Article: Coccidioidomycosis and tuberculosis coinfection at a tuberculosis hospital: clinical features...
- Tuberculosis -- see more articles
- Latent tuberculosis -- see more articles
- Multidrug resistant tuberculosis -- see more articles
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Medical Encyclopedia
- Tuberculosis
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Glossary of Terms Related to TB(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Directories
- State TB Control Offices(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Organizations
- American Lung Association
- National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Division of STD Prevention(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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Statistics
- State Profiles: HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- TB Elimination: Now Is the Time!(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Trends in Tuberculosis, 2007 - United States(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Children
- Pediatric Tuberculosis(American Lung Association)
- Tuberculosis(Nemours Foundation)
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Teenagers
- Tuberculosis(Nemours Foundation)
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Women
- Tuberculosis and Pregnancy(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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