Bacillus M. Tuberculosis Research Paper

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Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection that affects the lungs caused by an acid-fast bacillus M. tuberculosis (McCance, Huether, Brashers, & Rote, 2010, p. 1293). It is also considered as the leading cause of death from a curable infectious disease worldwide. It is highly contagious and the mode of transmission is by airborne droplets. A person can be exposed to the infection but not develop the illness, which is called latent TB infection. Unless the person is immunocompromised, some people remain asymptomatic until the disease is advanced. Signs and symptoms of TB includes fatigue, weight loss, lethargy, anorexia, and low grade fever that occurs in the afternoon. Diagnosis of the disease can be made through positive tuberculin skin test, sputum culture, immunoassays, and chest radiographs.

As part of the screening for exposure to TB, the healthcare provider can ask the patient if he or she has traveled outside the country, especially the countries where TB disease is common (Latin America countries, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia). In addition, TB screening should be initiated if the patient demonstrate symptoms resembling TB infection, such as fever, night sweats, cough, and weight loss. Furthermore, inquire if the patient has spent some time in prison …show more content…

References
McCance, K. L., Huether, S. E., Brashers, V. L., & Rote, N. S. (2010). Pathophysiology the biologic basis for disease in adults and children (6th ed.). Maryland Heights, Missouri: Mosby Elsevier.
Treatment for latent TB infection. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/treatment/default.htm
Zwerling, A., Van den Hof, S., Scholten, J., Menzies, D., & Pai, M. (2012). Interferon-gamma release assays for tuberculosis screening of healthcare workers: a systematic review. Thorax, 67, 62-70.

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