Tuberculosis

Question 1

What causes tuberculosis?

Answer 1

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

Question 2

Who gets TB?

Answer 2

Non UK born - recent migrants
-South Asia/sub Saharan Africa
HIV
Innumsuppresed
IV Drug users/prison

Question 3

What is Mycobacterium tuberculosis?

Answer 3

7 closely related species

• M tuberculosis
• M Bovis
• M AFRICANUM

Question 4

What is M. Tuberculosis?

Answer 4

Non-motile rod shaped bacteria

• obligate aerobes
• difficult to kil was has wall of long chain FA and glycolipids
• need to use strong stain to stain it (strong acid and alcohol) (called acid and alcohol fast organism)
• takes a long time for culture to grow (about 6 weeks)

Question 5

Where is the most common site?

Answer 5

Right apex - due to the reason that has the most amount of oxygen

Question 6

What are the virulence factors?

Answer 6

-can survive in macrophages without being killed

Question 7

How is it transmitted?

Answer 7

Respiratory droplets

• coughing
• sending
• droplet nuclei (light and stay in air for long time) suspended in are and reach the lower airway

Question 8

Why is it difficult to catch TB?

Answer 8

Need quite a long exposure to get it
(8hrs a day for 6 months)
It is contagious but not easy to acquire

Question 9

What is the pathogenesis for TB?

Answer 9

• inhaled aerosols

- engglused by alveolar macrophages

Question 10

What are the clinical manifestations of TB?

Answer 10

-majority of patients asymptomatic

Question 11

What are the clinical manifestation fo post-primary TB?

Answer 11

• More manifestations in the lung

- pulmonary or extra pulmonary symptoms