Tuberculosis

What Is Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis (often called "TB") mainly infects the lungs, but it can affect other organs.

Tuberculosis (too-bur-kyuh-LOW-sis) was one of the worst diseases of the 19th century. It became much rarer as living conditions and medical care got better in the United States. But it's making a comeback today, especially among people in crowded living situations (like shelters or prisons), people who travel to areas of the world with many cases of TB, and people whose immune systems are weakened (for instance, from HIV infection).

Is Tuberculosis Contagious?

Yes. When someone with untreated TB coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings, droplets with the bacteria go into the air. Inhaling these infected droplets is how a person gets TB. The disease is most likely to spread in indoor spaces where people are close to each other.

Not everyone who gets infected gets sick. That's why doctors categorize TB as either:

• latent TB infection. This is when people are infected with TB bacteria, but they don't feel sick or have symptoms yet and can't pass it to others. But if these people aren’t treated, they can develop TB symptoms and spread it to others.
• TB disease. This is when people infected with TB bacteria become sick and have symptoms. They can spread TB to others.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Tuberculosis?

Someone with TB disease might have these symptoms:

• coughing, often for 2 to 3 weeks or longer (and might cough up blood)
• night sweats
• fever or chills
• tiredness
• loss of appetite
• chest pain
• unexplained weight loss

How Is Tuberculosis Diagnosed?

Doctors screen for both latent TB infections and TB disease by doing a:

• tuberculin skin test (TST). This is how doctors usually test young kids for TB. It's done in two steps. First, a small amount of fluid (called tuberculin) is injected into the skin on the lower part of the arm. Then, your child returns 48 to 72 hours later, so that a health care provider can check the skin for a reaction. A raised, hard area or swelling means there is TB bacteria in the body.
• blood test. Providers take a blood sample to be checked in a lab for TB bacteria.

Someone with a positive skin or blood test will need an X-ray and possibly other testing to see if they have a latent TB infection or TB disease.

How Is Tuberculosis Treated?

Most people with tuberculosis can be cared for at home. Doctors usually treat TB with oral (taken by mouth) antibiotics. Killing all the TB bacteria takes time, though, so most people need to take medicine for several months.

It's important to take the antibiotics for as long as the doctor prescribes, even if your child has no symptoms or feels better. That is the best way to kill the harmful bacteria. Stopping treatment too soon or skipping doses can give the remaining bacteria a chance to become resistant to the antibiotic. Drug resistance can lead to more dangerous types of tuberculosis that are harder to treat.

Can Tuberculosis Be Prevented?

To prevent the spread of germs that cause TB and other infections, encourage everyone in your family to:

• Wash their hands well and often.
• Sneeze or cough into a tissue or their elbow, not into their hands.
• Use separate towels, drinking glasses, and eating utensils rather than sharing these items.
• Avoid contact with those who are sick.

When Should I Call the Doctor?

Call the doctor if anyone in your family has:

• had contact with someone who has tuberculosis
• a long-lasting fever
• night sweats
• a long-lasting cough or a cough that brings up blood
• unexplained weight loss