Last Updated on June 16, 2022 by Shabnam Sengupta
The bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes tuberculosis. In the majority of cases, this bacterium attacks the lungs to induce severe coughing. However, the bacteria can attack any part of the body.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria is present in bodily fluids which makes tuberculosis an airborne communicable disease. This bacterium spreads from person to person through tiny droplets released into the air while coughing or sneezing. This mode of transmission is called active tuberculosis.
On the other hand, Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria also cause latent tuberculosis in which an infected person does not show any symptoms. Latent tuberculosis can become active to affect other people standing nearby.
When it comes to the treatment, different strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria easily learn to resist the drugs that were once effective at treating the disease. A research has suggested that “TB control will need three new advances—development of new point-of-care diagnostics, more effective drug regimens to combat drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB, and more effective vaccines”.
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