Tuberculosis

What is tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection caused by a bacteria.  You can get the infection by breathing the air from a person who has tuberculosis.  Coughing is a common way for the T.B. bacteria to get into the air.  The bacteria mainly affects the lungs but could be anywhere in the body. Active T.B. is serious and requires treatment.

How is T.B. transmitted?

• T.B. is transmitted through prolonged, close and frequent contact with a person with active T.B. disease.
• According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, T.B. germs are put into the air when a person with T.B. disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks or sings.
• Breathing in the germs does not mean you will develop active T.B. disease.
• You CANNOT get T.B. from someone's clothes, drinking glass, eating utensils, sharing food, handshake, toilet, touching bed linens or other surfaces where a T.B. patient has been.

What are the symptoms of T.B.?

A person with active T.B. disease may have all, some or none of the following:

• Persistent cough
• Constant fatigue
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Coughing up blood
• Night sweats

What is a T.B. test?

By injecting a small amount of testing material (PPD) under the skin, a reaction to the bacteria will appear within 48-72 hours.  To assure an accurate reading, you must have the test area looked at in 48-72 hours by a doctor or nurse.

What is a positive test?

A positive test shows that the T.B. bacteria is in your body.  The health care provider will decide if the test is positive.  They will look for a red, raised area, like a blister, on your arm.  The risk of developing the disease is present at any time but is greatest in the first 6-12 months after infection, especially if the natural defenses are not working.  Most people who have a positive TB skin test do not get the tuberculosis disease.  Their own natural defenses are able to bring the infection under control.

What is done when a test is positive?

An appointment will be made with the Ingham County Health Department for evaluation.

Is there treatment to prevent the onset of the disease?

Yes, there is treatment to prevent onset of the disease.  The TB test is done to find out if the germs are in your body so that medicine can be given to kill the germs before they cause damage.  This is different from treatment to cure tuberculosis.

CAUTION:

• Once a person has a positive reaction to a tuberculin test, the test should not be repeated as you will always have a positive test.  Additional skin tests may cause more severe reactions.
• PPD may be given to pregnant women if clearly needed.
• Live-virus vaccines [ie. measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)] may temporarily suppress tuberculin reactivity, causing an inaccurate TB skin test reading.  The TB skin test may be given either on the same day that live-virus vaccines are administered, or 4-6 weeks later.
• Viral infections with increased temperature in the past 4 weeks, and use of corticosteroid medications may also suppress tuberculin reactivity.

Source: Park-Davis Manufacture's Handout, Feb. 1994.
Travel & Routine Immunizations, 1998.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, www.cdc.gov/TB/default.htm.