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.