Mycobacterium tuberculosis

One third of all humans are thought to be infected with a causative organism, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB kills more women than any cause of maternal mortality.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a rod-shaped, slow growing, gram positive bacterium. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell wall has a high fatty acid content, which makes it hydrophobic and resistant to noral fluid.

The cell wall absorbs a methylene-blue dye and maintain a red color despite attempts at decolorization, hence the name acid-fast bacilli.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

In patients with active tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli from granulomas are released into the bronchi and are spread through coughing. The aerosols produced contained droplet nuclei and survive for quite long period of time outside the body.

It is estimated that each infected person infects on average 20 other individuals. Once involved with cycle of infection and disease, the only escape leading to no further disease is by death, by modern scientific chemotherapy of active disease or by preventive therapy in the absence of current disease.

Generally, a cough with a progressive increase in production of mucus, coughing up blood, fever, loss of appetite and weight loss are common symptoms of tuberculosis.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis