Tuberculosis is a deadly infectious disease caused by the bacterium

Myobacterium tuberculosis. TB usually attacks the lungs, but will target other
parts of the body. One-third of the world is thought to be infected by TB, with
new cases every second. It mostly occurs in developing countries, but people
in developed countries who have AIDS can contract it as well.
Common symptoms of pulmonary TB, 75% of TB cases, are chest pain,
coughing up blood, fever, chills, appetite and weight loss, and fatigue. In the
other 25% of cases TB moves from the lungs to other parts of the body. This
usually only happens in children or immuno-suppressed people. Body parts
that can be infected are the central nervous system, lymphatic system, bones,
joints, and the urinary system.
TB is spread when infected people cough, speak, sneeze or spit. They
release tiny droplets each carrying the TB bacteria. Inhaling less than 10
bacteria can cause infection. When somebody is first uinfected it takes three
to four weeks before they become contagious.
To diagnose TB, M. tuberculosis has to be identified in sputum, phlegm
from the lungs mixed with saliva. When this test is not possible then, a chest
X-ray is the next best way to identify TB. A skin test can also be done but it is
not as good as the other two.
TB can be prevented in several ways. The first is identifying and
treating TB carriers before they become active and can spread the disease.
The second way is to vaccinate children; a reliable vaccine for adults is not
available yet.. The BCG vaccine is the most commonly used vaccine for
children.
The treatment for TB consists of many antibiotics. The two most used
are rifampicin and isonizaid. The treatment usually takes 6 months, but can
take up to 2 years. Dormant TB is treated with a single drug so it will be
killed before progressing into the active from. On the other hand, active TB is
treated with multiple drugs so if a bacterium is resistant to one drug another
will kill it.
Unfortunately, drug resistant TB does exist. It comes in two different
forms, multi-drug resistant and extensively-drug resistant. Multi-drug
resistant is characterized by being immune to the two first-line drugs,
rifampicin and isonizaid. Extensively-drug resistant TB is immune to
rifampicin and isonizaid as well as one of the second-line drugs, kanamycin,
capreomycin, and amikacin.
TB is one of the worst diseases in the world. It is the leading cause of
death in women of reproductive age and of people with HIV/AIDS. Swaziland
has the highest percentage of people infected and India has the most infected
people. The United States has a low infection rate of 4 in every 100,000
people compared to Swaziland’s 1200 in every 100,000. In developing
countries TB usually infects infants and adolescents, but in developed
countries the victims are often old people or immuno-suppressed people.
HIV/AIDS makes people more susceptible to TB. Also smoking too much
increases your chance of infection. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
contribute to higher chances of infection.