Wednesday, July 28, 2010

How has Mycobacterium Tuberculosis [TB] evolved to become such a successful pathogen

How has Mycobacterium Tuberculosis [TB] evolved to become such a successful pathogen?

Biology - 1 Answers
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1 :
M. tuberculosis Comes from the genus Mycobacterium,which is composed of approximately 100 recognized and proposed species. The most familiar of the species are Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae(Leprosy)(Page 576;Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology, Mahon, Lehman, Manuselis). M. tuberculosis appears to be genetically diverse. A genetic diversity results in significant phenotypic differences between clinical isolates. M. tuberculosis exhibits a biogeographic population structure and different strain lineages are associated with different geographic regions. Phenotypic studies suggest that this strain variation never has implications for the development of new diagnostics and vaccines. Micro-evolutionary variation affects the relative fitness and transmission dynamics of antibiotic-resistant strains. In other words it evolved over time and has successfully changed enough to fight every vaccine and still be the classical TB virus/pathogen

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Saturday, July 24, 2010

do i have to worry about having tuberculosis

do i have to worry about having tuberculosis?
i just received results from my TB skin test and it came back positive. the doctor said that i should have a chest x-ray to see if i actually have TB. i am curious, should i worry? as far as i know now is it serious? what are the chances of having active TB now that i've been exposed to it?
Infectious Diseases - 3 Answers
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1 :
If you're not having symptoms, it's possible that have latent TB. It still needs to be treated. The chest X-ray will conclude if you have active TB. The definitive test is the sputum AFB. This test will determine if you have TB at all and require any form of treatment.
2 :
i had TB when i was four and that was 16 years ago and i still test positive when they take a skin test. the x ray will determine if yours is active and if so treatment will start. it can be serious but its not like way back when when it killed everybody. for my treatment i had to take a horrible tasting syrup for 9 months and could not miss one day. if you just got exposed you probly have it.
3 :
tuberculosis is the disease which can occur in lungs,skin,bones and even brain.so it depends upon ur symptoms where the exact disease originated.Usually lungs are more prone to get tb infection. common test includes raised ESR in blood and MANTOUX test positive in skin are common for tb infection originating from any part of the body. T o rule out the exact origin of the tb further investigations are required and it depends upon the symptoms at present ur having.if ur having more cough then x ray is needed and sputum AFB is needed,if you have pain in any bony part then xray of particular bone is needed,so all depends upon ur symptoms further investigation are done. as treatment is considered no need to panic at all,lot of medicines are there to cure tb.Only thing is diagnose as early as possible and treat continually till all your test become negative

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Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Why is there joint deformity in tuberculosis

Why is there joint deformity in tuberculosis?
what is the exact pathological process behind it? I went through my ortho book but the exact reason for the cause of bone deformity is not given. So anyone out there knows it.
Infectious Diseases - 3 Answers
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1 :
TB can cause a septic arthritis, I've seen a couple cases in the hip, and joint deformities secondary to that process. It can also cause a wicked osteomyelitis/septic arthritis in the spine - pott's disease.
2 :
Yes because bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a very gooey bacteria that grows very slowly. Sometime its introduces into your body via eyes or sinuses as well as lungs. almost anything considered mucosa membrane. Its a very hard bug to fight because it grows very slowly and is very gooey .They will try to work there way to the bones and joints throw the lymphatic system. When the white cells macrophage the bacillus it doesn't kill it What it does it just contains the bacillus. If the immune system is compromised the bacillus gets lose in those areas. The deformity of the bones is then caused by the calcification of the bug I think. Not sure of the pathological process. to much research right now. Remember hunch back of notre dame. Allmost the same bug Mycobacterium leprea(lepracy) Red light thearpy work very well
3 :
Any infection of the bone will cause visible deformity -- if left untreated long enough. It is not a unique property of mycobacteria, just a testament to the chronicity of the infection. Remember that for someone to have any clinical symptoms of TB osteomyelitis their infection MUST have been present for 6 months or longer - probably years in most cases. If you have a strep or staph infection on a bone for 6 months - the bones are incredibly hypertrophied and moth-eaten . A typical diabetic foot infection left untreated for that long will present with a toe that looks like a huge sausage. So it's not anything special about the mycobacterium, just the fact that the infection has been present for so long prior to diagnosis. Any source of chronic inflammation in the bone is going to cause increased osteoblastic and osteoclastic activity that results in increased bony remodeling

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