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33 - Tuberculosis

from Part I - Systems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 December 2009

By
Adithya Cattamanchi  and
Payam Nahid
Edited by
Rachel L. Chin
Adithya Cattamanchi
Affiliation:
Fellow in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA
Payam Nahid
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA
Rachel L. Chin
Affiliation:
University of California, San Francisco
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Summary

INTRODUCTION – AGENT

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a large, nonmotile, curved rod that causes the vast majority of human tuberculosis cases. M. tuberculosis and three very closely related mycobacterial species (M. bovis, M. africanum, and M. microti) all cause tuberculous disease, and they comprise what is known as the M. tuberculosis complex. M. tuberculosis is an obligate aerobe, accounting for its predilection to cause disease in the well-aerated upper lobes of the lung. However, M. tuberculosis can persist in a dormant state for many years even with a limited oxygen supply. The organisms also persist in the environment and are resistant to disinfecting agents.

Mycobacterium species are classified as acid-fast organisms because of their ability to retain certain dyes when heated and treated with acidified compounds. Humans are the only known reservoir of infection.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

Tuberculosis is the second leading cause of death related to an infectious disease. Nearly one-third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated there were 8.8 million new cases of tuberculosis and 1.6 million deaths due to the disease. Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons, accounting for 12% of worldwide deaths. Whereas the average person infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis has a 10% lifetime chance of developing active disease, immunocompromised patients can have their risk jump to that same percentage annually.

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Emergency Management of Infectious Diseases , pp. 175 - 184
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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References

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  • Tuberculosis
    • By Adithya Cattamanchi, Fellow in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA, Payam Nahid, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA
  • Edited by Rachel L. Chin, University of California, San Francisco
  • Book: Emergency Management of Infectious Diseases
  • Online publication: 15 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511547454.034
Available formats
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Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Tuberculosis
    • By Adithya Cattamanchi, Fellow in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA, Payam Nahid, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA
  • Edited by Rachel L. Chin, University of California, San Francisco
  • Book: Emergency Management of Infectious Diseases
  • Online publication: 15 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511547454.034
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Tuberculosis
    • By Adithya Cattamanchi, Fellow in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA, Payam Nahid, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA
  • Edited by Rachel L. Chin, University of California, San Francisco
  • Book: Emergency Management of Infectious Diseases
  • Online publication: 15 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511547454.034
Available formats
×