TB germs are put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. These germs can stay in the air for several hours, depending on the environment. Persons who breathe in the air containing these TB germs can become infected; this is called latent TB infection. People with latent TB infection have TB germs in their bodies, but they are not sick because the germs are not active.
These people do not have symptoms of TB disease, and they cannot spread the germs to others. However, they may develop TB disease in the future. They are often prescribed treatment to prevent them from developing TB disease.
People with TB disease are sick from TB germs that are active, meaning that they are multiplying and destroying tissue in their body. They usually have symptoms of TB disease. People with TB disease of the lungs or throat are capable of spreading germs to others. They are prescribed drugs that can treat TB disease.
A person with latent TB infection cannot spread germs to other people. You do not need to be tested if you have spent time with someone with latent TB infection. However, if you have spent time with someone with TB disease or someone with symptoms of TB, you should be tested. People with TB disease are most likely to spread the germs to people they spend time with every day, such as family members or coworkers.
If you have been around someone who has TB disease, you should go to your doctor or your local health department for tests. There are two tests that can be used to help detect TB infection: a skin test or TB blood test. The Mantoux tuberculin skin test is performed by injecting a small amount of fluid called tuberculin into the skin in the lower part of the arm. A person given the tuberculin skin test must return within 48 to 72 hours to have a trained health care worker look for a reaction on the arm.
A positive test for TB infection only tells that a person has been infected with TB germs. It does not tell whether or not the person has progressed to TB disease. Although your body can harbor the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, your immune system usually can prevent you from becoming sick. For this reason, doctors make a distinction between:.
Tuberculosis can also affect other parts of your body, including the kidneys, spine or brain. When TB occurs outside your lungs, signs and symptoms vary according to the organs involved. For example, tuberculosis of the spine might cause back pain, and tuberculosis in your kidneys might cause blood in your urine.
See your doctor if you have a fever, unexplained weight loss, drenching night sweats or a persistent cough. These are often indications of TB but can also result from other conditions.
Also, see your doctor if you think you've been exposed to TB. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people who have an increased risk of tuberculosis be screened for latent TB infection.
This recommendation includes people who:. Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that spread from person to person through microscopic droplets released into the air. This can happen when someone with the untreated, active form of tuberculosis coughs, speaks, sneezes, spits, laughs or sings. Although tuberculosis is contagious, it's not easy to catch. You're much more likely to get tuberculosis from someone you live or work with than from a stranger. Most people with active TB who've had appropriate drug treatment for at least two weeks are no longer contagious.
HIV suppresses the immune system, making it difficult for the body to control TB bacteria. Tuberculosis also remains a major killer because of the increase in drug-resistant strains. Over time, some TB germs have developed the ability to survive despite medications. This is partly because people don't take their drugs as directed or don't complete the course of treatment.
Drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis emerge when an antibiotic fails to kill all of the bacteria it targets. The surviving bacteria become resistant to that drug and often other antibiotics as well. Some TB bacteria have developed resistance to the most commonly used treatments, such as isoniazid and rifampin Rifadin, Rimactane. Once you have inhaled the bacterium, the bacterium lodges in the lung tissue. Healthy individuals may contract latent TB, but the disease may not become active until months or years later, at a time when the immune system becomes weak for some reason.
However, people with weakened immune systems are at a greater risk for developing active TB right away. When they breathe in the bacterium, it settles in their lungs and starts growing because their immune systems cannot fight the infection.
In these instances, TB disease may develop within days or weeks after the infection. When a person gets active TB disease, it means TB bacteria are multiplying and attacking the lung s or other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes, bones, kidney, brain, spine and even the skin.
From the lungs, TB bacteria move through the blood or lymphatic system to different parts of the body. The chances of getting infected by the TB germ are highest for people that are in close contact with others who are infected.
This includes:. People at the highest risk for developing active TB disease are those with a weak immune system, including:. This November your donation goes even further to improve lung health and defeat lung cancer. Double Your Gift. Your tax-deductible donation funds lung disease and lung cancer research, new treatments, lung health education, and more.
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