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Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), also known as Koch's bacillus, is a species of pathogenic bacteria in the family Mycobacteriaceae and the causative agent of tuberculosis. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch , M. tuberculosis has an unusual, waxy coating on its cell surface primarily due to the presence of mycolic acid .
In 2010, 8.8 million new cases of tuberculosis were diagnosed, and 1.20–1.45 million deaths occurred (most of these occurring in developing countries). [78] [171] Of these, about 0.35 million occur in those also infected with HIV. [172] In 2018, tuberculosis was the leading cause of death worldwide from a single infectious agent. [1]
Controlling the spread of tuberculosis infection can prevent tuberculous spondylitis and arthritis. Patients who have a positive PPD test (but not active tuberculosis) may decrease their risk by properly taking medicines to prevent tuberculosis. To effectively treat tuberculosis, patients must take their medications exactly as prescribed. [2]
Transmission-based precautions are infection-control precautions in health care, in addition to the so-called "standard precautions". They are the latest routine infection prevention and control practices applied for patients who are known or suspected to be infected or colonized with infectious agents, including certain epidemiologically important pathogens, which require additional control ...
"A person with TB disease may feel perfectly healthy or may only have a cough from time to time." [12] However, these symptoms do not guarantee tuberculosis, and they may not exist at all, yet the patient may still have active tuberculosis. A person with symptoms listed may have active tuberculosis, and the person should immediately see a ...
It has been suggested that airborne transmission should be classified as being either obligate, preferential, or opportunistic, although there is limited research that show the importance of each of these categories. [23] Obligate airborne infections spread only through aerosols; the most common example of this category is tuberculosis.
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However, clinicians should rely on clinical judgement to diagnose TB meningitis when culture results are negative. [7] A 2007 before-after observational study found that use of the MTD test reduced inappropriate tuberculosis therapy. The study found the accuracy of the MTD test as follows: [8] Overall sensitivity 92%, specificity 99%. In Smear ...