Tuberculosis : A New Theory Of Consumption

Tuberculosis, commonly known as TB is a disease that has seen its prevalence not only in

Tuberculosis is the second-highest cause of death worldwide, and over one and a half million people

Tuberculosis, a disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has been around for thousands of years. In fact, one of the earliest cases of tuberculosis, known as TB, or often referred to as the White Plague, because of the pale skin of the Caucasians who wasted away from it, was found in a young man from Germany about 7,000 years ago. Scientists believe tuberculosis was probably an extremely common disease in Ancient Egypt, and throughout the centuries was spread through Europe, Asia, and Africa. European explorers including Columbus, were blamed for bringing TB to the New World, though evidence proves Native Americans suffered from the disease long before then.

Infectious diseases are one of the most challenging adversities that the human race faces. Diseases that once wiped out large populations are now well understood, preventative measures can be taken, and effective treatment methods provided. However, as science has evolved so have the infectious diseases that are seen. An example of an infectious disease that has been studied and continues to be seen today is Tuberculosis. Tuberculosis has been a health hazard for many centuries and was once an epidemic. Medical advances and studies have been able to enlighten not only the etiology, but also the mode of transmission, ways to diagnose, and ways to treat and/or manage infection.

Tuberculosis was one of the first infectious diseases to be documented in human history and continues to afflict and co-evolve with humanity today. This disease is prevalent in mankind as well as in other animals through of the genus of bacteria called Mycobacterium. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, also known as “Bacillus of Koch,” is the species of tuberculosis most common in humans. It is estimated this causative bacterium evolved 50,000 years ago and was discovered in 1883 by Robert Koch (see figure 1). Koch discovered TB by comparing tuberculosis-infected tissue dissections from guinea pigs, brains, lungs of people who had died from blood-borne tuberculosis, and the lungs of chronically infected

Tuberculosis, a disease responsible for millions of deaths and has been affecting people since Aristotle’s and Hippocrates’s eras to the present day (Frith, 2014a). Tuberculosis has surged in great epidemics and then receded, Mycobacterium tuberculosis may have killed more persons than any other microbial pathogen (Frith, 2014a). Tuberculosis is an infection by the “bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis which invades the lungs” (Saladin, 2015) and other parts of the body. Tuberculosis is a contagious disease and when left untreated it is fatal (Kalo et al., 2015). “Although [tuberculosis] is a preventable and treatable disease…it still poses a significant threat globally” due to drug resistant strains of the disease (Kalo et al., 2015). Millions of people have contracted Tuberculosis, many now suffering from the drug resistant Tuberculosis, and millions have died from this disease (Kalo et al, 2015).

A nightmare of no modern medication for tuberculosis had dawned on varieties of people since the deadly disease can spread quickly around thousands of people. The deaths to this infectious bacteria have caused people to question the real known facts of tuberculosis. The bacteria called mycobacterium has scared thousands of people to the point where they can’t even think what happens to people with this disease beyond their country borders. Tuberculosis is a pervasive disease caused by just one cough or sneeze, sending you straight to the hospital and fighting for you’re life to be treated.

Tuberculosis; often referred to as the silent killer, is a highly infectious disease that is contracted annually by 9.3 million individuals globally, and causes 1.8 million deaths. It’s high mortality rate led to the formation of the American Lung Association in the United States in 1904, after it was declared the leading cause of death during the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The origin of tuberculosis is not certain; the first documented deaths were recorded in ancient Egypt and Greece, when it was known fittingly as “consumption”, coined for of its all-consuming nature. Today, tuberculosis is more of a problem in developing countries, but is still a threat in the United States. To take preventative measures to avoid contracting this deadly disease it is important to know the causes, life-cycle, how its diagnosed, interactions with the immune system, and public health actions to reduce risk of infection.Tuberculosis is a facultative intercellular bacterial parasite caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mycobacteria are rod shaped in appearance and is a gram-positive bacterium. One characteristic unique to Mycobacteria is the addition to an extra layer beyond the thick peptidoglycan cell wall that is composed of lipids and polysaccharides; this gives M. tuberculosis a unique envelope that makes the cell have low permeability (advantage against the immune system). M. Tuberculosis doubles it’s population every 18-24 hours, which is considered

Although anyone is susceptible to infection, there are certain factors that make people more likely to contract TB and develop the disease; these are referred to as ‘risk factors.’ Such factors are important in explaining differences in incidence and mortality rates across regions. Around 5-10% of infectious cases that go untreated will eventually see the infected person develop the disease.1 Individuals with immunosuppressive conditions, such as HIV/AIDS, are faced with weakened immune systems and thus are subject to increased risks of infection and disease.4 HIV coinfection is widely considered the most lethal risk factor for developing TB Disease; 13% of the individuals that developed the disease

Despite numerous encounters throughout human history, tuberculosis still remains one of the biggest causes of death from infectious disease8. Recent estimates from the WHO report that there were 9.0 million new cases of tuberculosis in 2013, while 1.5 million people that carried tuberculosis infection died in the same year8. Regardless of advances in vaccination, tuberculosis remains a disease of poverty that is commonly observed in regions characterized by urban, overcrowdedness, and malnutrition10. Accordingly, cases of tuberculosis are not spread uniformly across the globe. Over 80 per cent of reported

Tuberculosis commonly called TB is a mortal contagious sickness that is able to affect any system in the body, but it stabilizes mostly in the pulmonary system.TB is caused by a microorganism called the tubercle bacillus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis.According to Minnesota department Of Health, St. Paul MN, for the year of 2008 there were approximately nine million cases and two million death from Tuberculosis happening throughout the world. From those estimate cases, there were 59% of TB cases in the US happening between the new born foreigners. In addition, in 2008 the rate of occurrence of TB in Minnesota (4.0 per 100,000 population) was less than the global rate of occurrence in the United States (4.2 per 100,000 population) (public health)

What is Tuberculosis? Tuberculosis, TB for short, is an ancient disease that has been around even before the first recorded disease in the history. This disease can be found in Egyptian mummies from 4000 BC. Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, or tubercle bacillus ("Centers for disease," 2011). Tuberculosis is primarily a disease of the lungs, but the TB bacterium can also travel through blood stream and attack any part of the body like kidney, spine and brain (Hamann, 1994). According to CDC, tuberculosis is considered one of the world’s deadliest diseases; 1/3 of the world’s population suffers from TB infection, in 2010, there were nearly nine million people that became sick with TB around the world, and TB is the

What is Tuberculosis? It is a serious infectious disease that mainly affects your lungs. The disease is caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Even though it usually attacks the lungs, it can easily damage other parts of the body as well. The bacteria can spread in tiny droplets released into the air when a person that has Tuberculosis of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, or talks. The Tuberculosis bacteria causes’ death of tissue in the organs they infect. Infection is most likely to occur if you are exposed to someone with active Tuberculosis on a day-to-day basis. Tuberculosis is not spread by sharing your food or drink, sharing toothbrushes, kissing, touching bed linens or toilet seats. After being a rare disease in developed countries, Tuberculosis infections increased in 1985, because of the emergence of HIV. HIV weakens a person’s immune system so it cannot fight the Tuberculosis germs. The disease began to decrease in the United States, in 1993, because of the stronger control programs.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly infectious disease that can harm any organ of the body, especially the lungs. Every year about over a million people die due to tuberculosis and even more are infected. A person in contact with an infected individual can easily put themselves at risks of getting TB. Due to the emergence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis infections commenced to increment more rapidly. A person with HIV has an impotent immune system which is not able to fight infections such as tuberculosis. There are many ways to diagnose, prevent and treat the further spread of this disease.

Tuberculosis is among the fatal diseases that are spread through the air. It’s contagious, meaning that it spreads from one infected individual to another, and at times it spreads very fast. In addition to being contagious, the disease is an opportunist infection as it takes advantage of those with weak defense mechanism, and especially the ones with terminal diseases like HIV and AIDS. Tuberculosis is therefore among the major concerns for the World Health Organization due to its contagious nature (World Health Organization 1).