What Is the Name of the Bacteria That Causes Tuberculosis?

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB). TB is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium, and transmitted and spread via aerosols (droplets from the mouth and respiratory tract) that are coughed, sneezed, or forcibly expelled from the body to the surrounding air. These droplets, when inhaled by a susceptible host, can infect a new person and, within weeks to months, the disease begins to develop in that infected person.

• Health Checks for TB are Important

Signs and Symptoms

• Bacteria May Cause Disease, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a Pathogen

  Tuberculosis is a serious and dangerous disease, Mycobacterium, the microbe or bacterium, the true disease agent, is very resistant to harsh chemicals, drying, and common antibacterial antibiotics. The disease is slow and progressive, and the lungs are the primary site of infection. The disease can spread to almost any other organ site such as: kidneys, bladder, bones, spine, liver, spleen or brain. TB infections are characterized by low grade fever, coughing, fatigue, and a loss of appetite. Later, coughing with hemoptysis (blood in the sputum), may occur.

Identification

• Mycobacterium is a bacterium, a single-cell prokaryote, that is visible in light microscopes at high magnifications. When properly stained, Mycobacterium tuberculosis appears as a stick-like bacterium (bacillus) that stains red (acid-fast stain), or fluoresces when stained with rhodamine-auramine. A positive confirmatory stain (size, morphology and appropriate color) is the first step in the presumptive diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Diagnosis

• Typically, for confirmatory diagnosis, the bacterium is cultivated on special media and subjected to a series of confirmatory biochemical tests. The newest technologies for TB diagnosis involve amplification of the Mycobacterium DNA by PCR followed by DNA probe tests. These probes target the gene that specifies the 16S ribosome unit of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex organisms. The sputum samples used for the PCR permit direct identification, without bacterial culture. The specific probes hybridize with amplified DNA from the lysed TB bacilli in the patient samples of sputa. If the bacterium is of the right type (TB bacillus), the probe finds the DNA segment and locks (hybridizes) with it, and signals a positive identification.

Treatment and Care

• Appropriate antibiotic treatment and proper nutrition is essential for the treatment of TB patients. The antibiotic therapy is long, but effective if patients are compliant and follow the recommended antibiotic regime.

Significance

• Tuberculosis is a worldwide disease that causes major morbidity and mortality. The bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis grows slowly and responds slowly to antibiotic treatment. This disease will continue to be a problem for many years to come