Also called: 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
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Tuberculosis
(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/tuberculosis/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/tuberculosisspanish/htm/index.htm -
Tuberculosis (TB)
(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/tuberculosis/Understanding/overview.htm
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Tuberculosis: Getting Healthy, Staying Healthy(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - Large PDF file - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/tuberculosis/Understanding/PDF/TB.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/tuberculosis/Understanding/PDF/LaTuberculosis.pdf
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JAMA Patient Page: Tuberculosis(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/300/4/464.pdf
- Questions and Answers about TB(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/faqs/default.htm
- Tuberculosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/tuberculosis/DS00372/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Tuberculosis (TB)(American Lung Association) - http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=2060731&content_id={50031760-2D7C-4FFF-AD75-4C49BDD1CD7D}¬oc=1
- New Antibiotic Could Shorten Tuberculosis Treatment(04/02/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_82476.html
- HIV-Related TB Deaths Higher Than Past Estimates(03/24/2009, World Health Organization) - http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2009/tuberculosis_report_20090324/en/index.html
- Tuberculosis Still Declining in U.S., But at Slower Rate(03/19/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_81946.html
- Antibiotic Combo Fights Resistant Tuberculosis(02/26/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_81096.html
- AFB Smear and Culture(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/afb_culture/test.html
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Chest X Ray(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cxray/cxray_whatis.html
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Chest X-Ray (Radiography)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=chestrad&bhcp=1
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=chestrad
- Diagnosis of Tuberculosis Disease(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/tbfactsheets/diagnosis.htm
- QuantiFERON-TB Gold Test(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/tbfactsheets/QFT.htm
- Tuberculosis: Learn the Signs and Symptoms of TB Disease(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/Features/TBsymptoms/
- Staying on Track with TB Medicine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Large PDF file - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/pamphlets/TB_trtmnt.pdf
- Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/tbfactsheets/treatmentLTBI.htm
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Tuberculosis: Treatment of Tuberculosis Infection(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/infections/common/bacterial/120.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/infections/common/bacterial/120.printerview.html
- BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/tbfactsheets/bcg.htm
- TB Skin Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/tb_skin/test.html
- Tuberculosis Skin Test(American Lung Association) - http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=2060731&content_id={E017092A-511A-4871-8EAE-17988C696509}¬oc=1
- Difference Between Latent TB Infection and Active TB Disease(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/tbfactsheets/LTBIandActiveTB.htm
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Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (XDR TB)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/xdrtb/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/tb/xdrtb/es/
- Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis(American Lung Association) - http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=2060263&content_id={0A97BBED-CF3C-42A8-9A2E-7368B71FB805}¬oc=1
- Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM)(National Jewish Health) - http://www.nationaljewish.org/healthinfo/conditions/ntm/index.aspx
- Tuberculosis: Health Information for International Travel(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-TB.aspx
- Tuberculosis: The Connection between TB and HIV (the AIDS Virus)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/pamphlets/tbandhiv_eng.htm
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Tuberculosis(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/tuberculosis/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/tuberculosisspanish/htm/index.htm
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Do I Need a TB Test?(Healthy Roads Media) - http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/english/Files/flv/engtbned.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/spanish/Files/flv/spatbned.htm
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If I Had - Recurring Cough and Positive TB Test(Insidermedicine) - http://insidermedicine.com/archives/If_I_Had_-_Recurring_Cough_and_Positive_TB_Test_-_Dr_Masae_Kawamura_MD_University_of_California_San_Francisco_2865.aspx?p=mdlnp
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TB and HIV - A Dangerous Partnership(Healthy Roads Media) - http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/english/Files/flv/engtbhiv.htm
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What You Should Know about Taking Tuberculosis Medicines(Healthy Roads Media) - http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/english/Files/flv/engtbmed.htm
- Play the Tuberculosis Game(Nobel Foundation) - http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/tuberculosis/
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Tuberculosis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Tuberculosis%22
- New Survey Finds Highest Rates of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (TB) to Date(World Health Organization) - http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr05/en/index.html
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Tuberculosis (TB)(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/tuberculosis/Research
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Twenty years of pediatric tuberculous meningitis: a retrospective cohort study... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19367678&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: HIV care and treatment factors associated with improved survival during... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19364398&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Coccidioidomycosis and tuberculosis coinfection at a tuberculosis hospital: clinical features... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19352301&tool=MedlinePlus
- Tuberculosis -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(tuberculosis[majr]+NOT+(latent[text]+OR+tuberculosis,multidrug+resistant[majr]))+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Latent tuberculosis -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(tuberculosis[mh]+AND+latent[text])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Multidrug resistant tuberculosis -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=tuberculosis,multidrug+resistant[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Glossary of Terms Related to TB(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/faqs/qa_glossary.htm
- State TB Control Offices(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/tboffices.htm
- American Lung Association - http://www.lungusa.org/
- National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Division of STD Prevention(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/std/
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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/
- State Profiles: HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/stateprofiles/usmap.htm
- TB Elimination: Now Is the Time!(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/nowisthetime/default.htm
- Trends in Tuberculosis, 2007 - United States(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/tbfactsheets/TBTrends.htm
- Pediatric Tuberculosis(American Lung Association) - http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=2060321&content_id={2CC5A8C0-3B21-45A9-818B-768F5D36192D}¬oc=1
- Tuberculosis(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/tuberculosis.html
- Tuberculosis(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/infections/bacterial_viral/tuberculosis.html
- Tuberculosis and Pregnancy(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/tb/pubs/tbfactsheets/pregnancy.htm
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
- Lungs and Breathing - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lungsandbreathing.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Tuberculosis is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/
Tuberculosis - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/tuberculosis.html