Monday, February 28, 2011

is tuberculosis transmissable by blood

is tuberculosis transmissable by blood?
Like transfusions infections? Do they test for it?
Other - Diseases - 1 Answers
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1 :
Very much so and definitely. Actually, it is normally transmitted through contact with infected blood as you tend to start coughing up blood. They will always test for it before allowing it to be used for transfusions, so don't worry about that. It is also curable, so an infected person may be able to give blood once again once it is out of their system. Not sure what your situation is whither you have it or are receiving blood, but hope that helps you either way



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Thursday, February 24, 2011

I have been recently diagnosed with tuberculosis and my doctor has prescribed AKT-4,zincovit & essential

I have been recently diagnosed with tuberculosis and my doctor has prescribed AKT-4,zincovit & essential?
my doctor diagnosed after having done a MANTOUX TEST,X-RAY in chest & FNAC in neck.Is this the right way to diagnose TB? after one month of taking this medicine my swelling in neck is getting bigger. now doctor rx be injection for 2 months "STREPTOMYCIN INJECTION IP AMBISTRYN-S 0.75GM"? why this injection has been rx.
Infectious Diseases - 2 Answers
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1 :
cdc.gov + TB, or go to your local public health clinic info site, seems you are getting the best treatment, if neck swelling bothering you breathing/swallowing /pain/pressure/ears, etc. see MD stat or go to ED , call first. You're lucky you've been diagnosed and treated and not spreading to others. It is a serious health problem. If you smoke, quit. Anyone else in family/relatives/traveling been exposed, untreated?
2 :
Hi Rahul, do you have TB of the neck (cervical TB or scrofula), also known in general terms as extrapulmonary TB? If so, there's an important article on cervical TB at: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/858234-overview Go to http://emedicine.medscape.com/ and sign up for the site in order to read the article (you have to log in for access). I'll paste a few excerpts about cervical TB here from the eMedicine site, but please check out the article online. There are two types of cervical TB according to the article and particularly important is that the treatment for M. tuberculosis appears to be different from NTM. "Today, approximately 95% of mycobacterial cervical infections in adults are caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the rest are caused by atypical mycobacterium or nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM)." Clinical history helps doctors to differentiate the two: * M tuberculosis o Patients report a painless, enlarging, or persistent mass. o Systemic symptoms include fever/chills, weight loss, or malaise in 43% of patients. * Nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) o Chronic cervicofacial mass o Clinical progression of the disease o No constitutional symptoms o Poor response to conventional antibiotics o No history of tuberculosis (TB) exposure Physical signs: * M tuberculosis o Any cervical node, although anterior cervical chain is more common o Firm rubbery node becoming more firm and matted as disease progresses o Infrequently, fluctuant with draining fistula o Multiple masses in two thirds of patients o Bilateral nodes in one third of patients * Nontuberculous mycobacterium o A nontender slightly fluctuant mass is present with the overlying skin obtaining a violaceous hue. This is referred to as a cold abscess because of its lack of calor, or warmth. o As the lesion progresses, the skin can become adherent to the underlying mass. This stage may progress to rupture and sinus formation. "NTM generally occurs in immunocompetent hosts." (not generally in those who are immunocompromised) The histological findings of the two types of cervical TB are different. The treatment of the two types is very different. See the article: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/858234-treatment Read the Medications section too. If you don't have cervical TB, there is an article on pulmonary TB at the eMedicine site: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/230802-overview. Look for other online resources by searching for "TB standards of care" (without the quotations marks). For example, http://www.who.int/tb/publications/2006/istc_report.pdf is the International Standards for Tuberculosis Care and gives diagnosis and treatment plans. (Search on the word "extra" if you want to find comments specific to extrapulmonary TB, if you have this). For medications, see ISTC Standard 8, pages 30-32 in the ISTC report. Standard 8 is below in part, but read Standards 12-15 as well. "Standard 8. All patients (including those with HIV infection) who have not been treated previously should receive an internationally accepted first-line treatment regimen using drugs of known bioavailability. The initial phase should consist of two months of isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol. The preferred continuation phase consists of isoniazid and rifampicin given for four months. Isoniazid and ethambutol given for six months is an alternative continuation phase regimen that may be used when adherence cannot be assessed, but it is associated with a higher rate of failure and relapse, especially in patients with HIV infection. The doses of antituberculosis drugs used should conform to international recommendations. Fixed-dose combinations of two (isoniazid and rifampicin, three (isoniazid, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide), and four (isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol) drugs are highly recommended, especially when medication ingestion is not observed." Re: ethambutol: "1) Streptomycin may be substituted for ethambutol. and 2) Ethambutol may be omitted in the initial phase of treatment for adults and children who have negative sputum smears, do not have extensive pulmonary tuberculosis or severe forms of extra-pulmonary disease, and who are known to be HIV negative." You should look at the medication tables in the document too. A good infectious disease specialist could help you sort through your concerns. Have you tried this direction yet? Best wishes to you



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Sunday, February 20, 2011

Are Tuberculosis (sp?) and Rabies the same type of disease

Are Tuberculosis (sp?) and Rabies the same type of disease?
I have often heard people say Rabies shot in reference to a TB test. Are they the same or are people just confused between the two?
Infectious Diseases - 4 Answers
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1 :
Tuberculosis and Rabies are not the same. Tuberculosis is a build up of fluid in you lungs and rabies is a infection of the brain. You would need completely different tests, shorts and medicine for both.
2 :
TB is caused by a bacteria, which is spread by airborne transmission of infected fluids (sneezes, coughs, etc). Rabies is cuased by a virus usually transmitted by an animal bite, or by exposure of broken skin to the saliva of an infected animal. TB is curable, although the treatment is long. Rabies is, for all intents and purposes, fatal unless vaccine is given before symptoms develop. So they are not related in any way.
3 :
wow Ashely that is so not what tuberculosis is. How did that get 2 thumbs up? Tuberculosis is a contagious or communicable bacterial infection that mainly infects lungs but can infect neurological, bone and skin. Treatable but also fatal if not treated or intractable. It can be passed by humans fairly easily if they are in their infectious stage. Rabies is a viral neurological disease passed by animals. Valar there is no shot for TB but there is medicine to help. I know because I was on it. It is called INH or isoniazid (sorry long time ago) it comes in pill form. I took it every day for a year. If you have been exposed to TB it is s prophyllaxis to keep you from developing full blown TB. In Canada some people who must be mandated for treatment as this is highly contagious are kept in hospital to ensure they follow treatment.
4 :
I agree with everything Lynnie said, but I just wanted to add about the shots. There is no such thing as a tuberculosis shot. There is a ppd test that may detect if you have been exposed to TB. This is only given to high risk individuals (like doctors) because there are a lot of false positives. It is an injection right under the skin that forms a little bubble, your skin turns red and raised if it is positive. There are two rabies vaccines. One is given after you are bitten by an an infected. The other is given before exposure to people like veterinarians who have a high chance of getting bitten by an infected animal



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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Vaccination for Tuberculosis

Vaccination for Tuberculosis?
I live in India with my husband (a native India) and he has been coughing for the past 3 months with fevers coming and going all the time. The docs keeps dismissing it as a cold or bronchitis, but how can it be going on for this long.grrr I questioned that it could be Tuberculosis and he said he can't get it because he is vaccinated against it. Is this true???? Also should I get vaccinated since i live here? any other ideas?
Infectious Diseases - 1 Answers
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1 :
The concern about the TB vaccination (BCG) is that it is not always effective - some studies have shown effectiveness of 80% (which isn't very high) and others have shown no effectiveness at all -- the variations are related to location and the different strains/variables of TB. For that reason - the United States no longer vaccinates for TB. If you husband has been coughing for over 3 months - I would highly recommended both you and he getting a TB test which tests for exposure. Also with his history (cough over 3 months, fevers), he really needs to get a chest x-ray



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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Some specific numbers regarding M. tuberculosis

Some specific numbers regarding M. tuberculosis?
I checked my islands library system and there weren't any books that focused on M. tuberculosis specifically, none that talked about its specific details. I'm hoping someone here can answer some questions. - What is the life span and life cycle of M. tuberculosis? - Is the habitat of TB just people, with no specific area in the world? - If TB is a decomposer, what does it specifically decompose if it has no set location?
Biology - 1 Answers
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1 :
M.tuberculosis does not have a life span i mean if u r talking about what is the time taken for one M.tb to divide into two then it is more than 24 hrs because to get a colony u need to wait for about5-6 weeks so basically they are slow growing bacteria n about the life cycle they usually have ony one host n that is human beings n they settle first in one's lungs n then if not treated prperly they disperse throughout ine's body n lead to miliary tuberculosis . Now low sanitation, less awareness to TB n poor economic conditions play a major role in a particular part of population is considered for TB epidemiology n for ur 3rd bit of question Mycobacterium tuberculosis is only a pathogen not a decomposer but other species under the genus mycobacterium are decomposersn some are non pathogenic like for example Mycobacterium hiberniae. Hope this helps



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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

what are some socioeconomic factors that cause tuberculosis

what are some socioeconomic factors that cause tuberculosis??
i'm doing a research about some socioeconomic factors that cause tuberculosis in my community so your answers would be a great help :D
Respiratory Diseases - 2 Answers
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1 :
Many people have TB and never develop symptoms. People with AIDs and poor nutrition are at a very high risk for developing TB, once they've been exposed. People without health insurance are less likely to go to the doctor and be diagnosed. Diagnosis is expensive (costs for x-rays, etc.) The antibiotics used to treat TB are expensive and nasty. They cause liver damage and make you feel worse that the TB itself. The treatment should be taken for 6 months to a year, but if the person's symptoms get better, he or she is likely to stop taking the antibiotics, causing recurrence and antibiotic resistance.
2 :
Tuberculosis, caused by the bacteria mycobacterium tuberculosis is spread mainly through droplet and aerosol means - meaning if someone coughs on your or speaks too closely to you and you inhale some of the particles into your lungs. Major issues would be living in crowded locations (slums with multiple family members) and prisons (which are the prime example of tuberculosis spreading in closed space). Additionally, the poor are unable to get healthcare for a cough until it's too late, which means they have been spreading the bacteria around for some time. Anything that hurts your body's immune system will also make it more inviting for the bacteria - smoking, more prevalent in lower socioeconomic groups hurts your body's ability to fight infection. The homeless, who get pneumonia from being out in the cold have decreased ability to clear infections and they are often in shelters in close contact with others. It's also hard to get treatment, although the government mandates it, so it should be sponsored by the state. The drugs aren't nice to the body so it makes taking them hard - although now TB treatments are highly regulated to ensure the course is completed and drug resistance does not develop. If you take those risk factors I'm sure you can reach some additional ideas. Hope these got you started. Cheers



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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

how can we diagnose tuberculosis

how can we diagnose tuberculosis?
which metod can we use?
Other - Diseases - 3 Answers
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1 :
Go to your Dr. and get a chest xray....They can diagnose.
2 :
Latent TB is found when you have a positive reaction to a tuberculin skin test or blood test. Active TB is diagnosed by finding the TB-causing bacteria (acid fast bacilli) in a sputum sample (fluid from the lungs) or in samples from other parts of the body. Doctors sometimes use a chest X-ray to help diagnose active TB. Extrapulmonary TB is diagnosed by a biopsy and culture, CT scan, or MRI.
3 :
TB skin test (where they inject antigens in between your epidermis and dermis) or have an x-ray done of your chest



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