Free Essay

Tuberculosis

In:

Submitted By idontcare
Words 1082
Pages 5
Tuberculosis
What is TB?
TB bacterium under the microscope.
TB bacterium under the microscope.
TB is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It affects the lungs mostly but can cause symptoms in your skin or other organs. TB is passed on from coughs and sneezes where the bacterium is carried in the air, a third of the population of the world is infected with the tuberculosis bacterium but only one in 10 of these people will go on to develop the disease thanks to your body's immune system, which fights the infection, and usually destroys the germs once it is inhaled. The immune systems that do fight off the bacteria successfully forms a defensive shield around the bacteria and will stay in the body but you won’t suffer from any of the symptoms of tuberculosis this is called latent TB. If your immune system fails to destroy the bacteria Tb will infect the lungs first (pulmonary Tb) and then usually the glands that are part of the immune system. TB can also cause meningitis (inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord), though this is very rare.
Where is tuberculosis most common in?
A graph showing the top ten countries suffering from non-HIV TB deaths. Eight of the countries located in Africa and the other two from Asia.
A graph showing the top ten countries suffering from non-HIV TB deaths. Eight of the countries located in Africa and the other two from Asia.
Most cases of TB occur in developing countries in Africa and South East Asia. In 2007and 2009 1.7 million people died from TB, the highest number of deaths in the African Region. But in the South-East Asia Region, 2008 accounted for 35% of incident cases globally. However, the estimated incidence rate in sub-Saharan Africa is nearly twice that of the South-East Asia Region with over 350 cases per 100 000 population.
What are the symptoms?
Depending on how effective your immune system is at fighting the infection, you may range from having no symptoms at all to symptoms that develop years after you were infected.
Most symptoms of tuberculosis are in your lungs they may include: * A persistent cough - containing phlegm and most likely blood. * Fevers * Feeling lethargic and tired. * Loss of appetite * Weight loss * A man suffering from the symptoms of TB.
A man suffering from the symptoms of TB.
Night sweats * Chest pain when you breathe in, caused by inflammation of the membranes lining your lungs (pleurisy)
Other Symptoms in your body: * Swollen glands in your neck. * Pains in your joints. * Bad Headaches.
How do you get it?
You catch TB by breathing in droplets in the air that contain the bacterium M. tuberculosis. These are spread through the air when someone with TB coughs or sneezes. Only some people with TB in their lungs are infectious to others.
Microscopic droplets of mycobacterium tuberculosis being spread into the air by sneezing.
Microscopic droplets of mycobacterium tuberculosis being spread into the air by sneezing.
Although it's spread through the air, you need to be closely exposed to a person with TB for some time before you catch it. People most commonly catch TB from people they live or work with.
Although TB, is quite difficult to catch in the UK you're more likely to get TB if you: * Have a weakened immune system (for example if you have HIV/AIDS or are taking medicines that suppress your immune system) * Have diabetes * Have regular close contact with people who have TB lung infection * Are very young or elderly * Live in overcrowded housing * Have an addiction with drugs or alcohol * Have very poor and have done for
The science behind TB
When the TB bacteria are inhaled into the lungs they are confronted by macrophages, immune cells that cleanse the body of invading pathogens or microbes. Macrophages are a type of immune cell which can kill microbes by a process called phagocytosis. Macro means "large" and phage comes from the Greek for "to eat”.
Macrophages recognize harmful substances in the body with antennae-like receptors and are usually the first to greet the unwelcome bacteria. The macrophage moves towards the bacterium and engulfs it in a pouch called a phagosome. The macrophage then "swallows" this pouch containing the microbe and fuses it with another vesicle called a lysosomes. In most cases, powerful digestive enzymes inside the lysosome then destroy the bacterium.
Macrophages engulfing a tuberculosis bacterium.
Macrophages engulfing a tuberculosis bacterium.
However, the TB bacterium has a mechanism that is able to alter the surface of the phagosome so that is cannot fuse with the lysosome. This leaves the bacterium alive and safe inside the macrophage where is able to grow and replicate. The bacterium eventually kills its host macrophage by reproducing many new bacteria that burst out of the macrophage. These new parasitic bacteria are then picked up by other macrophages which also become infected by them.
The damage caused to the lungs by a tuberculosis infection is actually caused by the body’s own immune system. As the bacteria kill macrophages, the lysosomes inside them release their powerful and toxic enzymes into the lungs. These chemicals eat away at the lung tissue and trigger an inflammatory reaction by the immune system, attracting other immune cells to the area and causing more tissue damage.
The attack by the TB bacteria on macrophages eventually triggers the production of immune system proteins called cytokines which increase the activity of macrophages and allows them to kill the TB bacteria. However, the hyperactive macrophages also cause further damage to lung tissue.
Tuberculosis may eventually be eliminated by the immune system or cause an on-going infection that results in a chronic inflammation of the lungs.
Can you cure it?
Antibiotics that are used to cure TB.
Antibiotics that are used to cure TB.
TB can be completely cured by taking antibiotics. Most people with either active or latent TB are treated with a combination of four antibiotic tablets for six months which will kill the bacteria. Treating latent TB prevents the infection from becoming active in the future.
You can also get a BCG (tuberculosis) vaccination which will inject a small amount of bacterium into your body not enough to cause any disease but enough for your body to produce antibodies that will fight and remember the bacteria. The vaccine is 70-80% effective against the most severe forms of TB.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Tuberculosis Epidemiology and Chain of Infection Communicable diseases occurring throughout worldwide communities raise public health challenges and demand the attention of health agencies on a global scale. Disease control is a complex issue which requires intervention on the environmental and behavioral level by health agencies and caregivers including public health nurses. Providing primary, secondary, and tertiary methods of prevention are necessary in the interruption of the chain of infection and protection of populations from communicable diseases. Tuberculosis is a deadly disease occurring in one third of the world’s population, infecting nine million people in 2013 and leading to over one million deaths (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). Community health nurses play an integral role in the fight against tuberculosis by providing immediate and follow up care to affected individuals, assisting in research and investigations to combat the disease, and educating communities about early detection, treatment, and prevention. Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially fatal infection commonly caused by a strain of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Maurer & Smith, 2013). In the most familiar presentation, the lungs are affected, but the bacteria can also infect the kidneys, lymphatic system, brain, and spine (Maurer & Smith, 2013). The disease can manifest in latent form in which an individual is not infectious and cannot...

Words: 1490 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Tuberculosis _ Epidemiology and Nursing Research. November14, 2013 Tuberculosis _Epidemiology and Nursing Research. Communicable diseases occurs in every country regardless of urban, rural, or with socio economical diversities. In order to help in prevention and control of communicable diseases, locally, nationally and globally, nurses who are working with the public health system , must have basic understanding of epidemiology, microbiology, treatments, and knowledge about public health system and the legal system. Although, the United states attained a significant success in attaining the control over the communicable diseases, compared to the other parts of the world since 1940s, communicable diseases are still leading cause of death in the United States.(Maurer &Smith, 2012). Tuberculosis(TB) is a air bourn infectious disease which is caused by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. People who are living in poor socioeconomic background and who are living in medically underserved communities are more prone to this deadly , but preventable and curable disease. This disease continue to be as an indicator of poverty and low socio-economic background. Most of the time people affected with this deadly disease are undiagnosed early and affected with malnutrition or immunologically compromised. Tuberculosis can affect several organs...

Words: 1589 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Tuberculosis (TB) is a complex disease linked with an extended and interesting history. TB is a contagious illness that is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. Tuberculosis mainly has an effect on the lungs, but it can also distress the circulatory system, lymphatic system, central nervous system, and many more. When an individual becomes infected with TB, the microorganisms in the lungs swell and cause pneumonia along with torso soreness, coughing up blood, and a lingering cough. Also, lymph nodes near the heart and lungs grow to be inflamed and interrupt the body’s immune system. As Tuberculosis continues to spread throughout the world, a variety of tests persist to help determine diagnosis, management, and avoidance. Treatment consists of streptomycin by an intramuscular booster for three months and isoniazid by mouth for 18–24 months. The most common procedure involves generating a simulated pneumothorax. A simulated pneumothorax is a surgical treatment to collapse the lung by adding air or nitrogen into the pleural space. The lung needs to relax if the organ was to improve, collapsing the lung give it relaxation. The nineteenth century German physician, Hermann Brehmer, recognized being the origin leader of TB Sanatoria. He assumed that relaxation, proper fitness and excellent nourishment could support the heart, progress the circulation and, therefore, repair the lungs. The foundation of Tuberculosis management in sanatoria was, therefore, a daily...

Words: 569 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...``` Tiffany O’Connor Mrs. Willard Biology 2010 Tuberculosis Tuberculosis, also known as TB, has been with us for as long as we can remember. In the first half of the 20th century, it was generally called “consumption,” an often fatal illness. At that time, when infectious diseases were responsible for the majority of deaths, tuberculosis was a leading cause of death. As special hospitals, called sanatoriums, were used to control the spread of TB along with better nutrition, housing, sanitation and the introduction of antibiotics in the middle of the 20th century, TB and other infectious diseases became curable and less rampant. Tuberculosis is an airborne infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis that usually affects the lungs, although other organs and tissues such as the kidney, spine and brain can be affected as well. Fortunately, TB in these parts of the body is usually not infectious. The disease can be spread through the air by coughing, sneezing, or spitting so you have to be careful around people who possibly have it. If you breathe in the bacteria it can settle in your lungs and begin to multiply. The bacteria can be transported through the blood to other parts of the body. There are quite a few symptoms that can let you know if you could possibly have TB, and they can be very scary as well. Prolonged coughing and this can even include coughing up blood, nightly sweats, a tremendous amount of weight loss that is unexplained, the loss...

Words: 1238 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Tuberculosis Tuberculosis or TB as the disease is abbreviated is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.TB). Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a large, has no motility and is rod shape in appearance. The rods are between 2 to 4 microns in length and between 0.2 to 0.5 microns in width. M.TB. is classified as weakly gram positive bacterium as it has a cell wall but no phospholipid outer membrane. However when a Gram stain is performed M.TB does not retain the dyes and does not stain completely due to the high lipid and chemical content of its cell wall (Todar, 2008). Tuberculosis is a disease of the lungs. This type is called pulmonary tuberculosis. It can affect other parts of the body via the circulatory system and infect all organs of the body; this is known as extrapulmonary tuberculosis. In children tuberculosis meningitis is sometimes diagnosed. This form of the disease is a life threatening and fatal condition. M.TB is transmitted via droplet transmission. The bacteria are inhaled in droplet form when an infected person coughs sneezes or speaks as the small droplets are expelled into the air. The bacteria can remain airborne for hours however UV light such as sunlight can destroy them. Once an uninfected person inhales the droplets the bacteria travel to the lungs and within a time period of six weeks the bacteria could have affected a small part of the lungs without any obvious symptoms being shown. This is known as the primary infection. After the primary...

Words: 1142 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Big Problem in Poor Country : TB It is a chronic bacterial disease and highly infectious. Tuberculosis spreads through air and affects the lungs of the person. It is caused by tubercle bacillus discovered by a German scientist. This disease is prevailing all over the world. In some developing and underdeveloped countries the cause of spread is lower socio-economic status and large overcrowded cities. This is prevalent both in tropical and temperate climate. Tuberculosis (TB) kills approximately 2 million people each year. The global epidemic is growing and becoming more dangerous. The breakdown in health services, the spread of HIV/AIDS and the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB are contributing to the worsening impact of this disease. In 1993, the World Health Organization (WHO) took an unprecedented step and declared tuberculosis a global emergency, so great was the concern about the modern TB epidemic. It is estimated that between 2002 and 2020, approximately 1000 million people will be newly infected, over 150 million people will get sick, and 36 million will die of TB - if control is not further strengthened. Each year, more people are dying of TB. In Eastern Europe and Africa, TB deaths are increasing after almost 40 years of decline. In terms of numbers of cases, the biggest burden of TB is in south-east Asia. The WHO-recommended treatment strategy for detection and cure of TB is DOTS. DOTS combines five elements: political commitment, microscopy services, drug...

Words: 363 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Tuberculosis Kyndall Scribner HCA/240 6/24/2012 Deborah Branham Tuberculosis, also known as TB, is a bacterial infection and is often found in the lungs. It can spread through the lymph nodes and bloodstream to any organ in one’s body. Many diseases like Tuberculosis are caused by various strains of mycobacteria; which in this case would be Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. Normally, this bacterium stays latent or inactive, but only a handful of people will ever have the active disease. Most people latent TB infection; which the person will show no signs of infection and they will not be able to spread the disease, unless it becomes active. The bacterium that causes Tuberculosis is spread from person to person by sneezing and coughing; which is released into the air. If someone has an active case of Tuberculosis then they can spread it from person to person. However, Tuberculosis is not “easy” to catch. One is more likely to catch Tuberculosis from a close friend or family or even a co-worker. We are starting to see more cases of Tuberculosis today though. We are seeing this due to the spread of HIV/AIDS. If a person has both HIV they are more likely to get Tuberculosis and it progress from latent to an active disease. Tuberculosis and HIV are very harsh on the body; which they each drive the progress of the other. Also, another reason we still see Tuberculosis is due to the drug resistant strains of the bacterium. This disease has developed the ability to survive an attack...

Words: 744 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Tuberculosis The Purpose of this report is to understand Epidemiology of Tuberculosis, a communicable infection disease, discuss insight and contribution of Community Public Health Nurses and deliberate role of NCHHSTP play in prevention, treatment and controlling of TB on national basis. TUBERCULOSIS Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious multisystem infectious disease. Ancient Greece consultants classified such sickness as “phthisis or phthisis pulmonails” referring as a wasting away disease. First sign of tuberculosis was found in 8000BC cadavers that’s indicates a long relationship of TB with humans. This infectious bacterium only found in human beings not yet discovered in soil, insects or animals. CAUSES Tuberculosis (TB) generally occurred in a body by a result of rod shaped, slow growing, aerobic bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, discovered by Dr. Robert Koch in 1882 which was also known as “Koch’s bacillus” while other TB causing bacteria are: Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobacterium africanum, Mycobacterium microti or Mycobacterium canetti, and it mainly hit the function of lungs. Mycobacterium avium complex doesn’t cause Tuberculosis in humans. This disease may circulate in different human tissues/organs by blood or lymphatic alleyways or enters into the person’s lungs through inhaling process in polluted air. SYMPTOMS There are two broad types of tuberculosis: * Latent TB Infection hit the body but bacteria remain inactive mode so usually no prompt...

Words: 2959 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...A Research on the Unusual Forms of Tuberculosis TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction II. Background A. An overview of Tuberculosis B. Definitions of terms III. The common indications of tuberculosis A. Signs and Symptoms B. Causes C. Effects 1. Tuberculosis of the Kidney 2. Tuberculosis of the Bones 3. Tuberculosis of the Stomach 4. Tuberculosis of the Spine IV. Case studies of Tuberculosis A. Philippines B. Other Countries V. Further Study of tuberculosis A. Explaining Tuberculosis B. Treatments VI. Conclusion VII. End Notes VIII. Bibliography I. Introduction Tuberculosis is just one disease out of a million other diseases in the world but it doesn’t only affect the person being infected but also the people around that particular people around it. Thus, it is not just a personal or family problem but a societal problem. After reaching considerable amounts of tuberculosis-related articles, the researcher has deemed tuberculosis as a “highly prevalent” and a “highly infectious” disease that is, once it becomes active. One-third of the world’s population has tuberculosis. To add, there are still other who may just be walking around not knowing whether they have been infected or not. Tuberculosis may be dormant for years and once active, it could lead to pulmonary failure. The agent of contamination is spread through air and since air is invisible to the naked age, the persons involved...

Words: 6125 - Pages: 25

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Michelle Warmbold Tuberculosis The spread of pathogenic bacteria in the human population can occur in many ways. Air, water, soil, and physical contact are all common ways in spreading bacteria to one another. Pathogenic bacteria can cause infections in many parts of the body. Some can be deadly while others, with treatment available, are benign. One of the largest problems we face in the world is the rapid growth of bacterial infections that go unseen due to lack of access to medications and/or treatment. Today, tuberculosis is one of the worlds leading killers, making it a popular topic in the pathogenic bacterium world. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis, has been around for centuries. M.tb is a small slow growing bacterium that can only live in people. It is not found in other animals, insects, or other nonliving things. It was first described around 460 B.C.E by Hippocrates, a Greek physician. He called it phthsis meaning “consumption” in Greek. This word described the way the disease took over, or better yet, consumed its victims. At the time, it was the most widespread disease. The term “consumption” was used until 1882, when they discovered tuberculosis bacteria as the cause of the disease. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that usually infects the lungs but can attack almost any part of the body, such as the kidney, spine, and brain. M.tb is found commonly in the air sacs of the lungs because it is an aerobic bacterium...

Words: 675 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Tuberculosis MELINDA COSTA FERNANDES, LPN Jerse y College Teterboro Campus Dr. Hemant Sabharwal November 2013 April 2015 ABSTRACT Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that usually attacks the lungs, but can attack almost any part of the body. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that  causes TB is spread from person to person by the airborne route (MMWR, 2013).  Tuberculosis is a leading killer of young adults worldwide and the global scourge of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is reaching epidemic proportions. It is endemic in most developing countries and resurgent in developed and developing countries with high rates of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Renewed efforts in tuberculosis (TB) research have led to important new insights into the biology and epidemiology of this devastating disease. The disease, risk factors, treatment and prevention of TB is discussed in this paper. Tuberculosis can be controlled if appropriate policies are followed, effective clinical and public health management is ensured, and there are committed and co-ordinated efforts from within and outside the health sector. Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that usually attacks the lungs, but can attack almost any part of the body. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB, is spread from person to person by the airborne route. When a person with TB in their lungs or throat coughs, laughs, sneezes, sings, or even talks, the germs...

Words: 1774 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Strategies for Tuberculosis Control from Experiences in Manila: The Role of Public-Private Collaboration and of Intermittent Therapy INAUGURALDISSERTATION zur Erlangung der Würde eines Doktors der Philosophie vorgelegt der Philosophisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Basel von Christian Auer aus Bottmingen (BL) Basel, Mai 2003 Genehmigt von der Philosophisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Basel auf Antrag von Herrn Prof. Dr. Marcel Tanner und Herrn Professor Dr. Klaus M. Leisinger Basel, den 6. Mai 2003 Prof. Dr. Marcel Tanner Dekan DEDICATION In memory of Aling Tess and Mang Tony, former neighbours of mine, victims of tuberculosis, the unrestrained killer that terminates daily the lives of 5000 people. With the sincere hope and plea that some findings and thoughts of this dissertation will contribute to reducing tuberculosis and poverty. “The appalling global burden of tuberculosis at the turn of the millennium, despite the availability of effective control measures, is a blot on the conscience of humankind. For developing countries, the situation has become desperate and the "cursed duet" of tuberculosis and AIDS is having a devastating impact on large sections of the global community. The vital question is, can despair be turned to hope early in the next millennium?” John Grange and Almuddin Zumla, 1999 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Summary Zusammenfassung Abbreviations i iii vii...

Words: 23795 - Pages: 96

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Tuberculosis Shequita Kelly HCS/245 10/20/2014 Michelle Clemmons Introduction Tuberculosis, commonly known as TB, is a bacterial infection that can spread through the lymph nodes and bloodstream to any organ in your body. It is most often found in the lungs. Most people who are exposed to TB never develop symptoms because the bacteria can live in an inactive form in the body. With that said, tuberculosis, a disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has been around for thousands of years.  In fact, one of the earliest cases of tuberculosis, known as TB, or often referred to as the White Plague, because of the pale skin of the Caucasians who wasted away from it, was found in a young man from Germany about 7,000 years ago.  Scientists believe tuberculosis was probably an extremely common disease in Ancient Egypt, and throughout the centuries was spread through Europe, Asia, and Africa.  European explorers including Columbus were blamed for bringing TB to the New World, though evidence proves Native Americans suffered from the disease long before then. TB did and still does attack many parts of the body.  Many people think only of pulmonary tuberculosis, the kind of TB that attacks the lungs because this is the most common form today.  In this form, TB bacteria can grow very slowly in a spot on the lung, which has the appearance of a cheesy boil and takes the shape of a tuber, like a potato.  If the bacteria attack the blood vessels of the lungs, the affected...

Words: 866 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Healthy Lifestyle Grand Canyon University 9/07/14 NRS-433V Introduction to Nursing Research Abstract Tuberculosis the second highest killer in the world. Tuberculosis an antibiotic resistant know disease could be stopped through the implementation of the recommendations of The World Health Organization. The WHO recommends the implantation of finances, testing, effective medication management, testing and evaluation. Introduction Tuberculosis, or more commonly known as TB is responsible for 1.3 million people deaths and 8.6 million individuals fell ill to TB from TB in 2012. TB is among the top three causes of death for women aged 15 to 44 in the world. TB is the second highest killer in the world, second only to HIV. TB leading cause of death in the world in individuals with HIV. (World Health Organization, 2014) Tuberculosis is a major cause of death globally, potentially caused by the misuse of antibiotics and noncompliant individuals. Tuberculosis is a deadly disease that is known for drug resistant qualities but with The World Health Organization is working to eliminate tuberculosis altogether. TB, is a bacterial infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis would also be considered the agent. (Centers for Disease and Preverntion, 2014) If a person has reduced immunity such as the very young or a geriatric patient or if they have Human Immunodeficiency Virus and is infected with TB it can cause death or serious damage to the lungs or whatever organ...

Words: 1380 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Tuberculosis

...Tuberculosis: A Communicable Disease What is Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterium, and can be deadly if not treated. It is one of the world's leading killers and has been around as long as man has been on this earth. Besides damaging the lungs and kidneys, it can also affect lymph nodes and spine. TB is also highly contagious and can be spread from person to person when those that are infected speak, sneeze or cough. These droplets can hang in the air for several hours, making it more likely that the infection can be spread Because many people that contract the disease show no symptoms and do not get sick, it can difficult to immediately track and stop the disease. Close friends and family members are the most likely to become infected due to the long times spent in enclosed spaces. Some that are infected never develop active TB, but instead, have latent TB infection. This form of infection is not infectious, but it can become infectious if the disease progresses. 2-3 million people die of TB every year (Draggan 2013) with the majority of them coming from developing countries. Environmental Factors Many of the risk factors are linked with poverty, air pollutants, overcrowded living spaces, among other factors. TB is second only to HIV/AIDS as a global burden and is continuing to climb in several parts of the world. Another factor that can be attributed to the spread of this disease is the failure of those infected to...

Words: 714 - Pages: 3