Tuberculosis Flashcards
Signs and Symptoms for Tuberculosis
Initial symptoms:
- Minor cough
- Mild fever
Later symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest pain
- Wheezing
- Coughing up blood
Pathogen for Tuberculosis
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Pathogenesis for Tuberculosis
- Can remain viable for long periods
- In aerosol drops
- Due to protection of the mycolic acid in the cell wall
What are the three types of tuberculosis
- Primary tuberculosis-initial case
- Secondary tuberculosis-reestablished tuberculosis
- Disseminated tuberculosis- involving multiple systems
Primary Tuberculosis
- Infectious dose= 10 bacterial cells
- Bacteria multiply inside macrophages
- Escape leads to cell-mediated attack on bacteria
Primary Tuberculosis 2
- Tubercle formation in lungs
- Neutrophils release enzymes causing necrotic caseous lesions that heal by calcification
- T cell action seen in tuberculin reaction
Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis Infection outside of the lungs:
- Regional lymph nodes
- Kidneys (renal tuberculosis)
- Long bones
- Genital tract (genital -tuberculosis)
- Brain and meninges (tubercular meningitis)
Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis Infection outside of the lungs: 2
- Immunosuppressed patients -Young children
- Untreated tubercular meningitis has a 30 – 50% mortality rate.
Secondary (Reactivation) Tuberculosis
- Live bacteria remain dormant, then reactivate
- Chronic tuberculosis: tubercles expand
- Untreated secondary disease has 60% mortality rate
Secondary (Reactivation) Tuberculosis with severe symptoms develop: “consumption”
- Violent coughing w/ greenish or bloody sputum
- Low-grade fever
- Anorexia
- Weight loss
- Extreme fatigue
- Night sweats
- Chest pain
Transmission for Tuberculosis
- Droplets of respiratory mucus suspended in air
- Can survive for 8 months in fine aerosol particles
Susceptibility influenced for Tuberculosis
- Inadequate nutrition
- Debilitation of the immune system
- Poor access to medical care
- Lung damage
- Genetics
Epidemiology for Tuberculosis
Infection of poverty:
- 1.3 million people died from tuberculosis in 2013
- 60% of U.S. cases are among foreign-born persons
- People who work in nursing homes, hospitals, or jails are at higher risk.
Culture and Diagnosis for Tuberculosis
-Tuberculin testing:
-Mantoux Test
Chest X rays:(Generally used after a positive test)
-Culture
-Acid-fast staining
-PCR
Prevention for Tuberculosis
- Limiting exposure to infectious airborne particles
- Live attenuated vaccine (BCG
