How is tuberculosis primarily transmitted from one person to another?
Question
How is tuberculosis primarily transmitted from one person to another?
Solution
Tuberculosis is primarily transmitted from one person to another through the air. Here are the steps:
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When a person with active Tuberculosis (TB) in their lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, sings, or laughs, they expel tiny droplets that contain the TB bacteria into the air.
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These tiny droplets can stay in the air for several hours, depending on the environment.
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People who are in the same room or area with the person with active TB can inhale these tiny droplets, thus getting the TB bacteria into their own lungs.
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Once in the lungs, the bacteria can settle and begin to grow, leading to a TB infection. Not everyone who inhales the bacteria will become sick. The immune system can often fight off the bacteria, resulting in latent TB.
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If the immune system cannot fight off the bacteria, or if the bacteria become active at a later date, the person can develop active TB disease.
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The person with active TB disease can then spread the bacteria to others through the same process.
It's important to note that TB is not easily spread. It usually takes prolonged close contact with a person with active TB disease for transmission to occur. It's not typically spread through brief contact or by touching surfaces that a person with TB has touched.
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis is most readily transmitted through:Correct! coughing shaking hands and rubbing your eye accidental direct inoculation drinking mikl or milking of infected cows
*True or False: People with latent TB infection can spread TB bacteria to others.
Identify the activity that has the highest risk of transmitting tuberculosis.Multiple ChoiceAttending a baseball game and discovering someone in the crowd was infected.Going to the dentist, who also treats a patient with tuberculosis.Flying on a plane, from New York to England, with an infected person.Eating at a restaurant after someone who has tuberculosis had dinner there the night before.
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