Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs. Tuberculosis is transmitted from person to person through drops from the pharynx and lungs of people with an active respiratory form of the disease.
In healthy people, infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis often does not lead to the appearance of any symptoms, since the human immune system “fences itself off” from bacteria. Symptoms of active pulmonary TB are cough, sometimes with phlegm or blood, chest pain, weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. Tuberculosis can be cured with a six-month therapy with antibiotics.
