Tuberculosis, also called TB, is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium named Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB usually involves the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can infect almost any organ in the body. TB is almost always curable with antibiotics that are readily available in countries such as the U.S.
How is TB spread?
TB spreads when someone who has pulmonary TB coughs. TB bacteria from that person's lungs are then expelled into the air, and may be inhaled into the lungs of another person. TB is not very infectious; it's much harder to catch than the common cold. Usually a lot of time needs to be spent with a person with pulmonary TB for someone to catch TB. It's not possible to get TB from sharing a glass with a person with TB or touching a doorknob after someone with TB has used it. Also, once a person with TB is on medication he or she quickly becomes non-contagious. People on medication can quickly resume their normal patterns of life without fear of spreading TB to others.
What are the signs and symptoms of TB?
These symptoms usually come on gradually over a period of weeks. The most common symptoms are:
cough, (usually for more than 3 weeks)
coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs) pain in the chest
fatique
weight loss
fever
night sweats
How do you treat active TB?
To treat TB several antibiotics need to be taken together over a period of usually 6 months to a year. For this treatment to work it's vital that these medicines be taken regularly and that the treatment be completed. Lengthy treatment is necessary because it is difficult to eradicate TB bacteria from the body.
What is TB infection and how do you treat it?
TB infection means someone has bacteria sleeping in their body. They're not sick or contagious because the bacteria are dormant. TB infection is detected when someone has a positive skin test but a normal chest x-ray and no other sign of tuberculosis disease. To kill these sleeping bacteria and to prevent the development of active disease, persons with TB infection are often advised to take several months of treatment, usually with only one or two medications.
What is the difference between TB infection and TB disease?
People with TB disease are made sick by germs that are active in their body. Often they have several symptoms of TB like persistent cough, fever and weight loss. If the disease is in their lungs they can give the disease to other people. Permanent damage and death can result from this disease. Medications to cure TB are almost always effective.
People who have TB infection have the germ that can cause TB inside their body. However, they are not sick because the germ is inactive inside their body. They can not make other people sick. These people may develop TB in the future. Medication is often given to these people to prevent them from developing TB disease.
