Tuberculosis Case study

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by spore-forming

mycobacterium,Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb).

When a person breathes in Mtb-contaminated air, the inhaled TB

bacteria reach the lungs. This causes an Mtb infection. However,
not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. The
bacteria can remain dormant (asleep) for years and not cause any
TB disease. This is called latent TB infection. People who have
latent TB infection do not get sick and do not spread the bacteria
to others. But, some people with latent TB infection eventually do
get TB disease.
Even if it is a latent one you need to get it treated before the
infection actually becomes an active one.

2) How does tuberculosis spread?

The TB bacterium is carried on droplets in the air, and can
enter the body through the airways. A person with active
pulmonary Tuberculosis can spread the disease by coughing or
sneezing. So you need to be in contact with someone who has
active TB to become infected.
The process of catching tuberculosis involves two stages: first,
a person has to become infected; second, the infection has to
progress to disease.

3) What are the Symptoms of TB?

A person with TB infection will have no symptoms. A person with
active TB disease may have any, all or none of the following
symptoms:

A persistent cough
Constant fatigue
Weight loss
Loss of appetite
Fever
Coughing up blood
Night sweats

These symptoms can also occur with other diseases so it is important

to see a healthcare provider and to let them find out if you have TB.
A person with TB disease may feel perfectly healthy or may only have
a cough from time to time. If you think you have been exposed to TB,
get a TB test.

4) How is TB Detected?
TB can be detected through a skin test or a TB blood test.
The skin test is done by injecting a small amount of fluid called
tuberculin into the skin in the arm. You will be told to return
within 48 to 72 hours to have a healthcare worker check the
arm to see if a bump has developed. The healthcare worker will
measure the bump and tell you if your reaction to the test is
positive or negative. If it's positive, it usually means you have
been infected with the TB germ.
The TB blood test measures how your immune system reacts to
the bacterias that cause TB.If you have a positive test for TB
infection, it only means that you have been infected with TB
bacterias. It does not tell whether you have developed TB
disease. You will be given other tests, such as a chest x-ray and
a check of your sputum (coughed up mucus), to see whether
you have TB disease.

5) How is TB Treated?
Treatment for TB depends on whether a person has active TB
disease or only TB infection.
If you have become infected with TB, but do not have active TB
disease, you may get preventive therapy. This treatment kills
bacteria that are not doing any damage right now, but could do
so in the future. The most common preventive therapy is a
daily dose of an antibiotic, for 6 to 9 months.
If you have active TB disease you will probably be treated with
a combination of several drugs for 6 to 12 months. You may
only have to stay a short time in the hospital, if at all, and can
then continue taking medication at home.
It is very important that you continue to take the medicine
correctly for the full length of treatment. If you take the
medicine incorrectly or stop taking it, you may become sick
again and will be able to infect others with TB.
If you don't take the medicine correctly and you become sick
with TB a second time, the TB may be harder to treat if it has
become drug resistant, That is, some drugs used to treat TB
cannot fight the TB bacteria in the body anymore. TB that is
resistant to more than one drug, called multidrug-resistant TB
(MDR TB) is very dangerous.