• Question: what is tuberculosis?

    Asked by jasmin to Thomas, Sanjib, Donna, Avril, Abid on 16 Jun 2017.
    • Photo: Donna Johnson

      Donna Johnson answered on 16 Jun 2017:

      Its a disease caused mostly by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Its spread through coughing and sneezing etc by an infected person and then once the bacteria are inside a person they multiply. The immune system can recognise them as invaders but the bacteria can use the immune system cells to hide in and survive. Eventually the immune system cells and bacteria can cause something called a granuloma, in these, cells can die and release blood and sputum seen when the person coughs.

    • Photo: Sanjib Bhakta

      Sanjib Bhakta answered on 16 Jun 2017:

      A dreadful disease cause more than 10 millions new infections and cost around 2 million human lives every year. tuberculosis more commonly known as TB cause more death than any other single infectious microbe. TB causing germ e.g. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (to human), Mycobacterium bovis (to cattle), Mycobacterium marinum (to fish), Mycobacterium avium (to birds) can cause infection to any part of the hosts body, lungs is the primary site of infection though. Cell-wall of this bacteria is unique and make them neither Gram positive or Gram negative, based on their staining property they are known as Acid Fast group of bacteria. Apart from BCG vaccination, when clinical symptoms appear early diagnosis and effective combinations of drug treatment are essential to control its spread. Treatment with cocktail of four antibiotic takes at least six months of chemotherapy. With the alarming rise in drug resistance there is a serious shortfall of antibiotics and treating extremely drug resistant cases of this infectious disease is becoming virtually impossible!!

    • Photo: Avril Tucker

      Avril Tucker answered on 19 Jun 2017:

      TB isn’t much to specialist area but I do know that it is caused by bacteria and can be spread through inhaling tiny water droplets when someone with TB coughs etc. It causes a cough and often you cough up blood. You also suffer from quite server weight loss. In many parts of the world TB is referred to as the ‘wasting disease’ because you quite literally waste away. A horrible disease.

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