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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 .
Multiple variants may be present simultaneously. Tuberculosis of the lip, secondary to open pulmonary TB. There is a popular misconception that tuberculosis is purely a disease of the lungs that manifests as coughing. [47] Tuberculosis may infect many organs, even though it most commonly occurs in the lungs (known as pulmonary tuberculosis). [8]
Some forms of TB are also resistant to second-line medications, and are called extensively drug-resistant TB . [1] Tuberculosis is caused by infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Almost one in four people in the world are infected with TB bacteria. [1] Only when the bacteria become active do people become ill with TB.
Some individuals may be infected with the tuberculosis mycobacterium but never display symptoms. [27] Called latent tuberculosis , these cases, while uncontagious, are particularly problematic from a public health perspective, since approximately 10% of those diagnosed with latent TB will go on to develop an active (and contagious) case.
"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 ...
The Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC or MTBC) is a genetically related group of Mycobacterium species that can cause tuberculosis in humans or other animals. It includes: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Mycobacterium africanum; Mycobacterium orygis [1] Mycobacterium bovis and the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin strain; Mycobacterium microti ...
Airborne diseases can be transmitted from one individual to another through the air. The pathogens transmitted may be any kind of microbe , and they may be spread in aerosols, dust or droplets. The aerosols might be generated from sources of infection such as the bodily secretions of an infected individual, or biological wastes.
Miliary tuberculosis is a form of tuberculosis that is characterized by a wide dissemination into the human body and by the tiny size of the lesions (1–5 mm). Its name comes from a distinctive pattern seen on a chest radiograph of many tiny spots distributed throughout the lung fields with the appearance similar to millet seeds—thus the term "miliary" tuberculosis.