Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Causes and Symptoms:

Caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Mycobacterium Bovis.

Symptoms of Pulmonary Tuberculosis are a persistent cough, tiredness, loss of appetite leading to weight loss and later once the disease has developed more symptoms may be a fever and the coughing up of blood.

Transmission

Spreads through the air by droplets, may be released into air when sufferers cough, sneeze, laugh, talk.

M. Tuberculosis can survive several weeks after the droplets have dried. Normally takes close contact with an infected person over a period of time to transmit bacteria.

TB can also be spread from cows to humans as M. Bovis which infects cattle. Milk may contain the bacterium.

Course of Infection

• The bacteria grow and divide in upper regions of lungs where there is a plentiful supply of Oxygen.
• Body's immune system responds and white blood cells accumulate at site of infection to ingest bacteria.
• This leads to inflammation and enlargement of lymph nodes that drain that…