An ancient disease that won't die off--tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB)---A few years ago (maybe 25) the medical community thought they had defeated  tuberculosis.  That didn’t happen; the tuberculosis bacteria has become resistant to antibiotics that formerly killed the germs.

Tuberculosis has a long history.  As far back as 4000 B.C., skeletal remains show evidence of TB.  A German doctor, Robert Koch, is credited for identifying the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria.  Dr Koch received the Nobel Prize of Physiology and Medicine in 1905 for this discovery.  What is TB?  It’s a disease caused by a bacteria (mycobacterium tuberculosis).  In the past TB was called “consumption or wasting disease”.  TB presents itself as a “bad cough that lasts three weeks or longer, pain in the chest, coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the chest), weakness or fatigue, weight loss, no appetite, chills, fever, sweating at night” 

 CDC, http://www.cdc.gov/Features/TBsymptoms/     TB is spread from one person who has TB through his coughing (sneezing, singing, speaking) to another person who doesn’t have TB.  The healthy person breathes in the germs left in the air by the ill person’s coughing, sneezing, etc.) The healthy person may not become ill if his immune system is strong and healthy.  The healthy person may become ill with the tuberculosis bacteria.  Next time I will discuss treatment for tuberculosis.