Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Essay

Introduction
Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common disease worldwide which caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. With close to 10 million new cases per year, and a pool of two billion latently infected individuals, control efforts are struggling in many parts of the world (The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but they can also damage other parts of the body (Comas and Gagneux, 2009). It is important for a nurse to understand how tuberculosis develops, how to diagnosis, treatment, and prevent.
Myobaterium tuberculosis is a nonmoving, slow-growing, acid-fast rod transmitted via aerosolization (airborne route). People who are most often infected are those having repeated close contact with an infectious person who has not yet been diagnosed with TB (Ignatavicius and Workman, 2006). Therefore, when a person with active TB coughs, sneeze, laughs, sings, or whistles, droplet become air borne and may be inhaled by others. Far more people are infected with the bacillus than actually develop active TB. The bacillus multiplies freely when it reaches a susceptible site (bronchi or alveoli). The majority of the bacilli are trapped in the upper parts of the airways where the mucus-secreting goblet cells exist. An exudative response occurs, causing a nonspecific pneumonitis (Ignatavicius and Workman, 2006). With the development of acquired immunity, further growth of bacilli is controlled in most initial lesions. Bacilli can also spread by erosion of the caseating lesions into the lung airways -and the host becomes infectious to others. Cell-mediated immunity develops 2 to 10 weeks after infection and is manifested by a positive reaction to a tuberculin test. Skin testing for tuberculosis is useful test to detect. According to Universi...

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...te. Other symptoms should be considered to diagnosis TB, such as weight loss, anorexia, shortness of breath. According to CDC (2011), TB is not spead by sharing food or drink, shaking someone's hand, touching bed linens or toilet seats, sharing toothbrushes, or kissing. As a nurse, he/she needs to instruct the patient with active TB to cover the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, to place used tissues in plastic bags, and to wear a mask when in contact with crowds until the drugs suppress infection (Ignatavicius and Workman, 2006).
Conclusion
It is important for us to know the pathology of tuberculosis because is a threatening disease that kills million people each year. Therefore, early sign and symptom detection will help people to treat properly and to prevent spread TB disease to others. The use of combination drugs are most effectiveness therapy.