Rio Grande County Public Health Agency Tel (719) 657-3352 Email:
925 6th Street, Room 101 Fax (719)657-2286
Del Norte, Colorado 81132
"TB" is short for tuberculosis. TB disease is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal.
How TB Spreads
TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The TB bacteria are put
into the air when a person with active TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs,
sneezes, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become
infected.
TB is NOT spread by
- shaking someone’s hand
- sharing food or drink
- touching bed linens or toilet seats
- sharing toothbrushes
- kissing
Latent TB Infection and TB Disease
Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. As a result, two TB-related conditions exist: latent TB infection and active TB disease.
Latent TB Infection
TB bacteria can live in your body without making you sick. This is called latent TB infection (LTBI). In most people who breathe in TB bacteria and become infected, the body is able to fight the bacteria to stop them from growing. People with latent TB infection do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms. The only sign of TB infection is a positive reaction to the tuberculin skin test or special TB blood test. People with latent TB infection are not infectious and cannot spread TB bacteria to others. However, if TB bacteria become active in the body and multiply, the person will get sick with TB disease.
TB Disease
TB bacteria become active if the immune system can't stop them from growing. When
TB bacteria are active (multiplying in your body), this is called TB disease. TB
disease will make you sick. People with TB disease may spread the bacteria to people
they spend time with every day. Many people who have latent TB infection never develop
TB disease. Some people develop TB disease soon after becoming infected (within weeks)
before their immune system can fight the TB bacteria. Other people may get sick years
later, when their immune system becomes weak for another reason.
For persons whose
immune systems are weak, especially those with HIV infection, the risk of developing
TB disease is much higher than for persons with normal immune systems.