Opportunistic etiological agents causing lung infections: emerging need to transform lung-targeted delivery
What Is Tuberculosis And How Does It Spread?
Shot of a senior woman suffering from chest pain while sitting on the sofa at home.
gettyAlthough it's often thought of as a disease of the past, tuberculosis is still found widely around the world, killing around 1.25 million people annually.
The U.S. Typically sees thousands of tuberculosis disease cases every year. Right now, Kansas is in the midst of a major outbreak that's infected hundreds of people and sadly killed two.
So, what causes tuberculosis and how can you prevent its spread?
What Is Tuberculosis?Tuberculosis is usually caused by infection with a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It primarily affects the lungs, but can also harm the kidneys, the brain and the spine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The condition comes in two forms: latent and active. In latent TB cases, the germs linger in the body but don't cause symptoms or spread to others. In active cases, people develop symptoms and can pass on the disease.
Without treatment, a latent tuberculosis infection may still become active, should a person's immune system fail to keep levels of the bacteria low. This happens to about 10% of people with latent TB in the U.S.
In total, the CDC estimates about 13 million people have latent TB nationwide. Treating inactive tuberculosis is important to prevent the risk of developing symptoms and reduce the chance of transmitting the disease to others.
What Are The Symptoms Of Tuberculosis?Active tuberculosis causes symptoms including a long-lasting cough, weakness, fatigue, chest pain, coughing up blood, fever, chills, night sweats and a lack of appetite. People with the disease may also find they lose weight.
If it affects other parts of the body than the lungs, other symptoms may appear, according to the CDC. Tuberculosis can lead to red or purple swelling under the skin if the lymph nodes are infected, headache or confusion should the brain be infected, or blood in the uring of people with infected kidneys.
Tuberculosis may also lead to vocal hoarseness if it infects the larynx, or back pain if it affect the spine.
How Is Tuberculosis Treated?Doctors usually give people with tuberculosis medicine for several months, whether it's active or latent. Many people will take a combination of medications, including antibiotics, for between three and nine months. They may experience side effects like skin rashes and an upset stomach. Occasionally the drugs can cause more serious side effects, like liver damage.
Some tuberculosis cases are drug-resistant, which can make them harder to treat. Patients with drug-resistant TB may take stronger medicines in an effort to kill the disease. This kind of drug regime can be complicated and cause different side effects. Patients with drug-resistant TB may take medication for years.
Although there is a vaccine against tuberculosis, it isn't usually given in the U.S., where rates of the disease are relatively low.
How Does Tuberculosis Spread?Tuberculosis spreads through germs released when a person with TB in their lungs coughs, speaks or sings. These bacteria can stay in the air for prolonged periods of time and are more likely to spread to other people indoors and in poorly-ventilated spaces.
People who breathe in these germs may become infected, with those who spend more time in close proximity to someone with TB at greater risk. For this reason, the disease often spreads between people who live together, like family members, or who see each other every day at work or social activities.
Only people with active TB can pass on the disease.
Tuberculosis bacteria are not spread through other common infection pathways, like shaking hands, kissing or touching bed sheets.
Who Is Vulnerable to Tuberculosis?Some people are more likely to develop active disease if they catch tuberculosis. This includes those with health conditions that weaken the immune system, such as HIV infection, diabetes and severe kidney disease.
Some people are more likely to catch tuberculosis in the first place, including those who often travel to countries where the disease is more common, and those who live or work in places such as healthcare facilities, prisons or homeless shelters.
Kansas Struggles To Contain Worsening TB Outbreak
Jan. 29, 2025 – Two counties in the Kansas City area continue to grapple with what is now a yearlong outbreak of tuberculosis. Caused by airborne bacteria, the disease is highly contagious and has now sickened dozens of people and drawn on-the-ground assistance in Kansas from the CDC.
Kansas health officials say the risk to the general public is "very low."
TB cases are not entirely uncommon in the United States. In 2023, there were 9,633 TB cases reported, CDC data shows, and in 2022, there were 565 TB deaths.
This latest outbreak has proven difficult to contain as it now stretches into its second year. The first cases were identified in January 2024. Since then, 67 people have had active infections, and another 79 people had latent infections, meaning the bacteria were detected but inactive and not causing symptoms. About 1 in 10 people with latent infections will get sick, the CDC says. People with latent infections do not spread the disease.
The were also two reported deaths last year linked to the outbreak.
Details of who has been infected, the possible source, or what connections the sickened people may have to one another have not been reported. Past large outbreaks involved homeless shelters in Georgia and contaminated donated tissue used for bone grafting.
Before the current outbreak, the CDC estimated that 13 million people living in the U.S. Had latent TB.
TB typically affects the lungs, although it can also impact the brain, kidneys, and spine. Symptoms include a cough that lasts at least three weeks and may produce blood or phlegm, chest pain, fatigue, weight loss, fever, and loss of appetite. The disease is treated with antibiotics.
The bacteria can remain in the air for several hours after a sick person coughs, speaks, or sings.
A CDC spokesperson told ABC News that the outbreak is one of the largest in U.S. History, although it is not the largest. Although briefly unseated by COVID, TB is the leading cause of death due to an infectious disease worldwide, with more than 1.5 million annual deaths.
Four CDC employees are in Kansas to help investigate contacts and to help with testing and screening, The New York Times reported.
A TB vaccine does exist, but people in the U.S. Typically do not get it because of the low risk of TB infection.
How To Prevent The Spread Of Tuberculosis, Symptoms To Know Amid The Outbreak In Kansas
As Kansas deals with an ongoing tuberculosis outbreak – the largest in recorded history in the United States – you might be wondering if the threat of TB could make its way to Delaware.
Here's what we know about the situation in Kansas, how Delaware infection rates compare and how to prevent the spread of TB.
What is tuberculosis?Neonatologist Valentina Gerginova holds a dose of BCG vaccine in Vita private hospital in Sofia on May 20, 2012.
Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB usually affects the lungs but can also affect other body parts, such as the spine, kidneys and brain. It is one of the world's leading infectious disease killers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Inactive TB and active TB disease are the two TB-related conditions.
Inactive TB is when TB germs live in the body without making a person sick. People with inactive TB do not have active TB disease. They don't feel sick or have any symptoms and can't spread the disease to others. Without treatment, inactive TB can develop into active TB disease and make a person sick.
The CDC reports that 1 in 10 people with inactive TB will get sick with active TB disease without treatment. The entity estimates up to 13 million people in the U.S. Live with inactive TB.
Active TB disease occurs when the immune system can't prevent TB germs from growing. People with active TB disease feel sick and may also be able to spread germs to people they spend time with every day.
If not treated properly, TB can be fatal.
Tuberculosis outbreak in KansasThe Topeka Capital-Journal reported on Jan. 24 that Kansas health officials documented 66 active cases and 79 latent infections (infections without symptoms) of TB in the Kansas City, Kansas, metro area since 2024. Officials said most of the cases were concentrated in one county, with a handful in another county.
Jill Bronaugh, spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, told The Capital-Journal in a statement that the outbreak is mainly due to the rapid number of cases in a short amount of time. The number of cases could increase as the outbreak is still ongoing, and some other states also have ongoing large outbreaks.
Kansas public health officials have said the risk to the general public is very low.
What's happening in Clayton?: Smoldering chicken manure pile near Clayton leads to reports of odor, breathing problems
Tuberculosis in DelawareThe CDC's National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System shows TB infection rates in recent years.
As of Dec. 28, 2024, Delaware recorded 24 TB cases throughout the year. In 2023, the state recorded 21.
The CDC reported 8,649 cases of TB disease in the U.S. In 2024 and 9,633 in 2023.
Signs and symptoms of tuberculosisGourmand owner Peyton Barrell holds an N95 mask during a conversation with the Asheville Citizen Times in Asheville's River Arts District Thursday, October 24, 2024.
Symptoms of active TB disease, according to the CDC, include:
A cough that lasts three weeks or longer
Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs)
TB spreads through the air from one person to another. TB germs are expelled into the air when a person with active TB disease of the lungs or throat speaks, coughs or sings, according to the CDC.
These germs can stay in the air for several hours, depending on the environment. TB germs are more likely to spread indoors or in places with poor air circulation, such as cars, than in outdoor areas.
TB germs are not spread by:
Touching bed linens or toilet seats
Anyone can contract TB, but a higher risk is present for people who:
Have a weaker immune system because of certain medications or health conditions such as diabetes, cancer and HIV.
Work in places where TB is more likely to spread, such as hospitals, homeless shelters, correctional facilities and nursing homes.
The two types of tests that can detect a TB infection are a blood test and a skin test.
The blood test, also called an interferon-gamma release assay, measures how your immune system reacts to the germs that cause TB.
The skin test involves a healthcare provider using a small needle to put testing material under the skin. Patients return in two to three days to see if there is a reaction.
If either test result is positive, more tests are conducted to determine whether the case is inactive TB or active TB disease. These might include a chest x-ray and a test of the sputum coughed up.
What is the treatment for tuberculosis?The best way to treat inactive TB is to protect yourself from getting sick with active TB disease.
Active TB disease can be treated with medicine. After diagnosis, medication will be prescribed by a healthcare provider.
ICYMI: Along with the FDA ban, Delaware legislators seek to ban use of Red No. 3 in the state
Tuberculosis vaccineBacille Calmette-Guérin is a vaccine for TB disease, but it is generally not used in the U.S.
The vaccine is commonly given to infants and small children in countries where TB is common to prevent them from getting severe forms of active TB disease, such as TB meningitis.
BCG is only considered in the U.S. For people who meet specific criteria and in consultation with a TB expert.
Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.Com.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Tuberculosis is spreading in Kansas. How to stay safe in Delaware
Comments
Post a Comment