Tuberculosis(TB) &

Human Immunodeficiency Virus(HIV)

Karen
Youngmin

Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is
caused by the
bacterium
Mycobacterium

How does it spread?

TB is transmitted by droplet infection
(i.e. a person infected with TB
coughs, talks or sneezes and droplets
of water and mucus are released into
the air from the lungs. These droplets
contain the TB bacteria. The droplets
are inhaled by a second person, who
is then infected with the disease.)

How does it spread?

TB affects the lungs predominantly,
but can spread to other parts of the
body e.g. lymph (causing scrofula) or
the blood (causing sepsis).

Cell Structure
TB has a thick waxy cell wall, which
stops it from dessicating. It can,
therefore, survive as dust from dried
droplets for weeks.

 TB can survive inside macrophages (cell

wall of the bacterium is very thick and
waxy and is resistant to the
macrophage enzymes). The bacterium
reproduces inside the macrophage for
many years without causing infection.
When the immune system is weakened
(by stress, malnutrition, or another
disease HIV is a common cause) the
TB bacterium breaks out and re-infects
the body. This is a secondary infection
NOT a true re-infection.

Syndrome
TB is characterised by fever, cough,
blood in sputum, weight loss (it used
to be known as consumption for
this reason). Also, the presence of
granulomas in a lung x-ray, which is
often how TB is first diagnosed.