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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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Tuberculosis is a chronic bacterial infection caused by a germ called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that is spread through the air when a person with the disease coughs or sneezes. A person may become infected with TB when they breathe the air droplets from the person who is sick with the disease. The disease commonly infects the lungs but can infect other parts of the body including the spine, brain or kidney. Below are the characteristics of TB infection and TB disease
Not everyone who becomes infected with tuberculosis becomes sick with the disease itself. This is because the body's immune system is able to keep the number of TB germs low enough to prevent the active disease from developing. The infection at this point is called latent TB infection.
If the TB germs become too numerous for the immune system to contain the person becomes sick with active TB disease.
People with particular health conditions are more likely to develop active disease once infected (see below). The development of active TB disease from latent infection may take months to years to occur. Both TB infection and disease can be readily diagnosed and treated.
Active tuberculosis infection is generally treated with 4 antibiotics, given for 6-12 months, depending upon the patient's ability to tolerate the medication. These medications are:
Sometimes the tuberculosis infection does not respond to some of the antibiotics listed above. The laboratory can test the tuberculosis bacteria for the effectiveness of the antibiotics that are routinely used. If drug resistant tuberculosis is detected, more potent antibiotics must be used, often for longer periods of time.
Drug resistance develops when a person who is sick with tuberculosis does not take all their medications as instructed. This is why it is extremely important for tuberculosis patients to take all their medications. Most tuberculosis treatment programs provide the tuberculosis medications and watch the patient take all their pills. This is called directly observed therapy. This is the best way to prevent the development of drug resistant tuberculosis.
This article is a NetWellness exclusive. 
Last Reviewed: Feb 04, 2008
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Catherine A Curley, MD, MS Director and Assistant Professor Tuberculosis Clinic MetroHealth Medical Center School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University |
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Allan B Chiunda, MPH Senior Analyst/Project Manager, PhD Candidate Tuberculosis Research Unit School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University |
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