Question

How does Tuberculosis affect the body?

Answer 1

* The tuberculosis is a bacterial infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is mainly characterized by the growth of nodules in the tissues, mainly in lungs.

* Tuberculosis mainly transfers through cough and expectoration, so lungs are first effected by the bacteria in which they got settled in alveolar spaces where they replicate within endosomes of alveolar macrophages. During phagocytosis, the bacteria is enveloped by the macrophages and temporarily stored as a phagosome. This phagosome reacts with lysosome and forms phagolysome in which cells attempts to kill bacteria by using reactive oxygen species and acid. But the bacteria has thick mycolic acid layer prevents it from death and causes death of the own immune cell.

* Tuberculosis may also effect kidneys, brain, pancreas and other body parts after prolong exposure to bacteria which spreads through heamatogenous route. The lack of treatment may leads to death of the patient.