Question

What is tuberculosis? How is the disease transmitted? Is there treatment for tuberculosis?

Answer 1

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium (mycobacterium tuberculosis). Generally lungs is affceted but other parts of the body can also be affected. Pockets or cavities are formed in the lungs. These cavities (damaged area) may cause bleeding in the lungs. The symptoms of TB may include fever, chills, night sweats, loss of appetite, weight loss, and fatigue. Significant nail clubbing may also occur. In severe condition bleeding with cough may occur.

Transmission of TB: When a TB patient cough, sneeze, speak, sing, or spit they expel aerosol droplets. These droplets contain the bactria which can be inhaled by the persons around the patient. Almost t 40,000 droplets are released in a single sneeze and each one of these droplets may transmit the disease. People with prolonged, frequent, or close contact with people with TB are at particularly high risk of becoming infected, The probability of transmission depends upon several factors, including the number of infectious droplets expelled by the carrier, the effectiveness of ventilation, the duration of exposure, the virulence of the M. tuberculosis strain, the level of immunity in the uninfected person, and others.

Treatment: TB is treated with antibiotics.The two antibiotics most commonly used are isoniazid and rifampicin, and treatments can be prolonged, taking several months.