Glandular TB and Diagnosis Flashcards
What are the other parts of the body that TB can effect?
Bones, Lymph nodes and central nervous system. Follow an initial pulmonary infection.
What are the main symptoms of glandular TB?
Enlarged lymph glands, in neck or armpits.
Sometimes lymph glands in the chest are affected (seen in X Ray)
How can TB be diagnosed?
Skin or blood test.
Skin: What is injected underneath the skin of the forearm?
Small amount of tuberculin, composed of several species of mycobacteria.
In a positive result of the skin test, what does it show?
An inflamed area of skin at the site of injection
Why is there an inflamed area of skin at the site of the injection?
Because antibodies in the blood cause the inflammation indicating that TB antigens are already present.
How can this test give a negative result?
If there person has latent TB (E.G TB is not active)
How can the skin test give a false positive?
If the person has had a BCG anti-TB vaccination.
What can blood tests do to diagnose?
They analyse blood for T cells specific to antigens only occurring on TB bacterium
What happens next after a positive skin test?
A sample of sputum coughed up by the patient is taken and cultured to see what bacteria is present.
How is the bacteria in the sputum identified?
Using staining techniques, different types of bacteria taken up particular stains, depending on the make-up of their cell wall.
What are Chest X Rays used to do?
Check to discover the extent of the damage and disease in the lungs.
