tuberculosis

[Guest Loveyourbody008]

*Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection, primarily in the lungs (a pneumonia), caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is spread usually from person to person by breathing infected air during close contact.

 

*TB can remain in an inactive (dormant) state for years without causing symptoms or spreading to other people.When the immune system of a patient with dormant TB is weakened, the TB can become active (reactivate) and cause infection in the lungs or other parts of the body.

 

*The risk factors for acquiring TB include close-contact situations, alcohol and IV drug abuse, and certain diseases (for example, diabetes, cancer, and HIV) and occupations (for example, health-care workers).

The most common symptoms and signs of TB are fatigue, fever, weight loss, coughing, and night sweats.

 

*The diagnosis of TB involves skin tests, chest X-rays, sputum analysis (smear and culture), and PCR tests to detect the genetic material of the causative bacteria.

Inactive tuberculosis may be treated with an antibiotic, isoniazid (INH), to prevent the TB infection from becoming active.

 

*Active TB is treated, usually successfully, with INH in combination with one or more of several drugs, including rifampin (Rifadin), ethambutol (Myambutol), pyrazinamide, and streptomycin.

 

*Drug-resistant TB is a serious, as yet unsolved, public-health problem, especially in Southeast Asia, the countries of the former Soviet Union, Africa, and in prison populations. Poor patient compliance, lack of detection of resistant strains, and unavailable therapy are key reasons for the development of drug-resistant TB.The occurrence of HIV has been responsible for an increased frequency of tuberculosis. Control of HIV in the future, however, should substantially decrease the frequency of TB.

 

 

*Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by bacteria whose scientific name is Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It was first isolated in 1882 by a German physician named Robert Koch who received the Nobel Prize for this discovery. TB most commonly affects the lungs but also can involve almost any organ of the body. Many years ago, this disease was referred to as "consumption" because without effective treatment, these patients often would waste away. Today, of course, tuberculosis usually can be treated successfully with antibiotics.

 

There is also a group of organisms referred to as atypical tuberculosis. These involve other types of bacteria that are in the Mycobacterium family. Often, these organisms do not cause disease and are referred to as "colonizers" because they simply live alongside other bacteria in our bodies without causing damage. At times, these bacteria can cause an infection that is sometimes clinically like typical tuberculosis. When these atypical mycobacteria cause infection, they are often very difficult to cure. Often, drug therapy for these organisms must be administered for one and a half to two years and requires multiple medications.

 

tuberculosis-latent

 

tuberculosis-resistant

 

pulmonary-tuberculosis

[maysaa]

Culture of clinical samples increase the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in patients and are more sensitive than direct microscopic examination. Only 10 to 100 viable organisms are needed to have a positive culture, while a minimum of 5000 to 10.000 acid-fast bacilli per milliliter are required for detection by direct smear.

Thin layer agar (TLA) use a solid medium and is based on the microscopic detection of early mycobacterial growth. This method is able to detect growth within 9–14 days and also allows the initial identification of M. tuberculosis on the basis of its colony morphology. The sample is inoculated on a plate containing Middlebrook 7H11 and Middlebrook 7H11 enriched with PNB (para-nitrobenzoic acid). The detection of growth and its comparison in the two media will help the identification of M. tuberculosis complex since it is expected to grow on 7H11 but not on 7H11+PNB where its growth will be inhibited.

 

Other recent developments for the rapid detection of mycobacteria include manual methods like the MB-Redox (Heipha Diagnostika Biotest, Heidelberg, Germany) based on the reduction of a tetrazolium salt indicator in liquid medium, and automated equipment-based methods like the MB/BacT system (Organon Teknika, Boxtel, Holland) based on the colorimetric detection of carbon dioxide produced by mycobacterial growth in a closed system, and the ESP culture system II (Trek Diagnostics, Inc., Cleveland, OH, USA) based on the detection of pressure changes in the culture medium of a sealed vial during mycobacterial growth. These systems have not gained widespread use outside laboratories in industrialized countries.

Maysaa El Sayed Zaki-Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Current status in Rapid Laboratory Diagnosis -ASIN: B0056HRJI8

[Maryjane]

Tuberculosis or TB is a bacterial infection that spreads through the lymph nodes and bloodstream to any organ of the body and most often is found in the lungs. Most people who are exposed to TB never develop symptoms at the beginning, since the bacteria can live in an inactive form in the body. But in people with weak immune system, TB bacteria can become active. In their active state, TB bacteria cause death of tissue in the organs they infect. This can be fatal if not treated properly on time.