Tuberculosis (TB) is an illness caused by a bacterial infection. It commonly affects your lungs, but it can also affect other areas of your body like your spine, brain or kidneys. This term has sometimes been used interchangeably with “active tuberculosis casefinding”. It should be distinguished from testing for TB infection (with a TB skin test or interferon gamma release assay) (3) Tuberculosis disease: the disease caused by the M. tuberculosis complex, sometimes referred to as TB or “active TB”. What Is Tuberculosis? Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious infection that usually attacks your lungs. It can also spread to other parts of your body, like your brain and spine. A type of bacteria... Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s top infectious killer. Nearly 4500 people lose their lives and 30 000 people fall ill with TB each day. TB is contagious and airborne. It is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs. TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel TB germs into the air. A person needs to inhale only a few of these germs to become infected.About one-quarter of the world's ...
