What is tuberculosis (TB)?
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria can cause two types of illness, an active form (TB disease) and a latent form (latent TB infection). TB disease TB disease is a serious but treatable infectious disease. TB bacteria can cause disease in the lungs, throat, lymph nodes, brain, spine, and many other sites. Untreated TB disease can be fatal. The symptoms of TB disease are: • Unexpected weight loss (i.e. not from dieting) • Night sweats • Weakness or fatigue • Loss of appetite • Coughing up blood (if disease in lungs or throat) • Chest pain (if disease in lungs) • Shortness of breath (if disease in lungs) • Other symptoms based on the site of disease Treatment for TB disease includes: • An evaluation of the patient, including bacterial specimens (if possible), chest X-ray, and physical exam. • Prescribed anti-TB medications for several months. TB bacteria are unusual and take longer to kill than most other bacteria. Latent TB infection (
