Tuberculosis FAQ

1. What is TB? 

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria called  Mycobacterium tuberculosis* . The bacteria usually attack the lungs . But TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain . If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal . 

2. How TB spreads?

TB is spread through the air from one person to another . The bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings . People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected . When a person breathes in TB bacteria, the bacteria can settle in the lungs and begin to grow . From there, they can move through the blood to other parts of the body, such as the kidney, spine, and brain .TB disease in the lungs or throat can be infectious . This means that the bacteria can be spread to other people . TB in other parts of the body, such as the kidney or spine, is usually not infectious . People with TB disease are most likely to spread it to people they spend time with every day . This includes family members,friends, and coworkers or schoolmates .

3. How is latent TB spread?

TB is spread through the air from one person to another . The bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings . People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected . When a person breathes in TB bacteria, the bacteria can settle in the lungs and begin to grow . From there, they can move through the blood to other parts of the body, such as the kidney, spine, and brain . TB disease in the lungs or throat can be infectious . This means that the bacteria canbe spread to other people . TB in other parts of the body, such as the kidney or spine, is usually not infectious . People with TB disease are most likely to spread it to people they spend time with every day . This includes family members,friends, and coworkers or schoolmates .What is latent TB infection? In most people who breathe in TB bacteria and become infected, the body is able to fight the bacteria to stop them from growing. The bacteria become inactive, but they remain alive in the body and can become active later . This is called latent TB infection . 

People with latent TB infection:

• Have no symptoms
• Don’t feel sick
• Can’t spread TB bacteria to others
• Usually have a positive skin test reaction or positive TB blood test

May develop TB disease if they do not receive treatment for latent TB infection. Many people who have latent TB infection never develop TB disease . In these people, the TB bacteria remain inactive for a lifetime without causing disease . But in other people, especially people who have weak immune systems, the bacteria become active, multiply, and cause TB disease .

4. What is TB disease?

If the immune system can’t stop TB bacteria from growing, the bacteria begin to multiply in the body and cause TB disease .  The bacteria attack the body and destroy tissue . If this occurs in the lungs, the bacteria can actually create a hole in the lung . Some people develop TB disease soon after becoming infected (within weeks) before their immune system can fight the TB bacteria. Other people may get sick years later, when their immune system becomes weak for another reason .

Babies and young children often have weak immune systems . People infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, have very weak immune systems . Other people can have weak immune systems, too, especially people with any of these conditions:

• Substance abuse
• Diabetes mellitus
• Silicosis
• Cancer of the head or neck
• Leukemia or Hodgkin’s disease
• Severe kidney disease
• Low body weight
• Certain medical treatments (such as corticosteroid treatment or organ transplants)

Specialized treatment for rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn’s disease Symptoms of TB disease depend on where in the body the TB bacteria are growing .
TB disease in the lungs may cause symptoms such as:

• A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer
• Pain in the chest
• Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs)