Here's what tuberculosis is, ... In the latent stage, TB germs have survived in the lungs but are contained by the body's immune system, so no symptoms are present.

Remodeling the immune system to fight tuberculosis Date: January 18, 2024 Source: University of Massachusetts Amherst Summary: Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb ...

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 10,347 reported tuberculosis cases in the US in ...

Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), kills upwards of 1.6 million people a year, making it one of the leading causes of death by an infectious agent worldwide.

Certain medications: Some medications — like immunosuppressants — can affect the body’s immune system and how a person responds to disease-causing agents like M. tuberculosis.

When it affects parts of the body besides the lungs, it’s called extrapulmonary tuberculosis. This is more common in people with weakened immune systems that can’t contain the infection to one ...

If you have inactive TB, you have the M. tuberculosis bacterium in your body, ... If you have active TB, it means that your immune system cannot keep the M. tuberculosis bacteria in check, ...

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis, when tuberculosis affects areas of the body other than your lungs. This is more often seen in people who have weakened immune systems because of HIV/AIDS .

When someone has tuberculosis, the bacteria can travel from their lungs to other parts of their body, including their skin, through their bloodstream or lymphatic system.

But in 5 to 10 percent of infections, the immune system can’t produce enough white blood cells to surround the invader. M. tuberculosis explodes outward, and active disease begins.

The inactive bacteria stay in the body, with the potential to become active later, especially during times of weakened immune systems. You can't predict when or if it becomes active.