Scientists have found that tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Typically, bacteria infect the lungs, but in cases of tuberculosis bacteria, it is a little more difficult. These bacteria can infect any part of the body. So let’s learn more about it and check these 10 facts about tuberculosis.
10 Facts about Tuberculosis
The estimation of death rates due to tuberculosis in 2005 figures 1.6 million, with the highest number of deaths and highest mortality per capita being in the Africa Region.
Tuberculosis is a deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria, generally Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs and can also affect the central nervous system, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, the genitourinary system, the gastrointestinal system, bones, joints, and even the skin.
The treatment for tuberculosis is a long-term process and involves taking multiple antibiotics.
Another fact – tuberculosis spreads through the air, when people who have the disease cough, sneeze, or spit.
The first antibiotic streptomycin, which was introduced in 1940 helped in bringing tuberculosis under control.
Tuberculosis is more common in elderly persons and 23,000 cases of tuberculosis reported in the United States in 1995 were developed among people above the age of 65.
The World Health Organization estimates that the largest number of new TB cases in 2005 occurred in the South-East Asia Region.
The microbiologist Robert Koch discovered the tubercle bacillus in 1882 when it caused seven deaths in Europe. He named it Tuberculosis.
HIV and TB form a lethal combination, each speeding the other’s progress and so people with HIV and TB infection are much more likely to develop tuberculosis.
Hope these 10 interesting facts about tuberculosis were useful!
