TB adversely affects groups that have historically experienced greater obstacles to health. The percentage of TB cases that occur in Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American, and Asian persons is higher than expected based on the percentage of these populations in the U.S. population.
Among children, the greatest numbers of TB cases are seen in children younger than 5 years of age, and in adolescents older than 10 years of age.
Extensively Drug-resistant TB (XDR TB)
XDR TB is of special concern for people with HIV infection or other conditions that can weaken the immune system. These people are more likely to develop TB disease once they are infected, and also have a higher risk of death once they develop TB.
Tuberculosis mostly affects adults in their most productive years. However, all age groups are at risk. Over 80% of cases and deaths are in low- and middle-income countries. TB occurs in every part of the world.
Crowded and poorly ventilated living and working environments often associated with poverty constitute direct risk factors for tuberculosis transmission. Undernutrition is an important risk factor for developing active disease.
The risk of infection can be reduced by using a few simple precautions: good ventilation: as TB can remain suspended in the air for several hours with no ventilation. natural light: UV light kills off TB bacteria. good hygiene: covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing reduces the spread of TB bacteria.
TB occurs throughout the world but is much more common in some countries. Most TB occurs in sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Some TB bacteria are resistant to the drugs used to treat infection (drug-resistant TB).
TB germs are passed through the air when someone who is sick with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks, laughs, sings, or sneezes. Anyone near the sick person with TB disease can breathe TB germs into their lungs. TB germs can live in your body without making you sick.
It is often stated that the risk of tuberculosis (TB) for persons with a positive tuberculin skin test (TST) is 10%, of which 5% within 5 years of infection (2). Cost-effectiveness analyses assessing the benefits of preventive therapy generally use similar estimates of TB risk (3–6).
Human TB is mostly caused by infection with the organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Prior to the widespread practice of milk pasteurization, M. bovis was also a common cause of tuberculosis in people in the Western world.
chest pain. coughing up blood or phlegm from the lungs. breathlessness.
There is good news. People with TB can be treated if they seek medical help. Why is TB still a problem in the United States? Tuberculosis is preventable and treatable but remains the world's deadliest infectious-disease killer.
Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) disease. This vaccine is not widely used in the United States. However, it is often given to infants and small children in other countries where TB is common.
TB case counts and incidence rates have steadily decreased in the United States since 1992. In 2022, 8,300 TB cases were reported in the United States, compared with 7,874 cases reported in 2021. TB incidence also increased slightly in 2022 (2.5 cases per 100,000 persons).
A person with latent, or inactive, TB will have no symptoms. You may still have a TB infection, but the bacteria in your body is not yet causing harm. Symptoms of active TB include: A cough that lasts more than three weeks.
Left untreated,TB can kill approximately one half of patients within five years and produce significant morbidity (illness) in others. Inadequate therapy for TB can lead to drug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis that are even more difficult to treat.
In summer season, the absorption of natural ultraviolet light is higher and can kill M. tuberculosis within a short time, while it can survive in darker conditions for a longer period.
Background. Natural immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis exists, and > 90% of those infected remain disease-free. Innate and adaptive immune responses required to mediate such protection against tuberculosis (TB) are, however, poorly understood.
TB bacteria spread through the air from one person to another. When a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks, or sings, TB bacteria can get into the air. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.
> Poor nutrition and an inadequate diet weaken the immune system and increase the chances of infection and developing active TB. > Overcrowded and poorly ventilated home and work environments make TB transmission more likely.
There is a general awareness in the TB research and control community that "risk factors" other than HIV – such as diabetes, tobacco smoking, indoor air pollution, vitamin deficiencies, malnutrition, crowding, and silicosis – are drivers and determinants of TB distribution around the world.
The origin of M. tuberculosis, the causative agent of TB, has been the subject of much recent investigation, and it is thought that the bacteria in the genus Mycobacterium, like other actimomycetes, were initially found in soil and that some species evolved to live in mammals.
The general symptoms of TB disease include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. The symptoms of TB disease of the lungs also include coughing, chest pain, and the coughing up of blood.