Latent tuberculosis: is it contagious?

LTB occurs when you have Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) is present in the body, but there are no symptoms of infection.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 13 million People in the US have LTB.

If you have an LTB infection, the bacteria remain “sleeping” in your body and do no harm. Bacteria are inert, so LTB cannot be passed on to other people.

However, without treatment, LTB can develop into active tuberculosis disease. Tuberculosis is a serious disease that can be life-threatening. Coughing, sneezing, or talking can spread tuberculosis to others.

The short answer is “no”. If you have LTB, will not experience symptoms. LTB doesn’t make you feel sick like an active illness.

However, if your condition develops into active tuberculosis disease, you may experience symptoms such as:

LTB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Being in close proximity to an active tuberculosis patient can lead to LTB infection.

The most common way to get LTB is by inhaling airborne droplets that contain the bacteria. This can happen when someone with active TB coughs, sneezes, or talks near you.

Inhaling tuberculosis bacteria can cause:

• If it is excreted from the body, no infection will develop
• Takes residence in the lungs (or elsewhere) but does not remain active
• grow out of control and cause an active infection

A major risk factor for LTB includes close physical contact with an active tuberculosis patient. The risk of tuberculosis may be increased if:

• live in an area with a high prevalence of active tuberculosis
• offal HIV
• inject illegal drugs
• work in an area with a high tuberculosis rate
• Living in a crowded area such as a hospital, prison, or refugee camp

again, high risk if you have chronic renal failure I need hemodialysis Or silicosis.

Other risk factors include:

there is two ways Test LTB.

The first is a skin test. tuberculin skin test. For this test, a nurse injects a small amount of liquid containing protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis into your arm. After 48 to 72 hours, your doctor will check the injection site for swelling or discoloration. This may indicate a positive result.

The second is the interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) test. IGRA is a blood test that: work better Better than a skin test if you have diabetes. However, it may be less accurate in people with weakened immune systems.

Therefore, doctors may need to do other tests to confirm the diagnosis.this is probably involvement Negative chest radiograph and sputum smear.

If you have LTB, your smear will be negative and your chest x-ray will be typical. If you have active tuberculosis, an x-ray will give an abnormal result and a smear will give a positive result.

according to CDC, there are several treatment options for LTB. These include:

• Isoniazid (INH)
• Rifapentine (RPT)
• Rifampicin (RIF)

Your doctor may prescribe one or more of these drugs. The CDC recommends one of her three treatment protocols, including:

• INH and RPT once a week for 3 months
• RIF daily for 4 months
• Take INH and RIF daily for 3 months

It is important to take all medications as prescribed by your doctor and complete the entire course of treatment. This helps ensure that the infection does not return or progress to active tuberculosis.

The best way is prevent tuberculosis Avoid contact with active tuberculosis patients. If you have been in close contact with someone with active TB, get tested as soon as possible. Treating an underlying infection is much easier than treating tuberculosis disease.

HIV is one of them main risk factors Good for LTB, as it can make it harder for the body to get rid of tuberculosis bacteria. If you are in an area with high tuberculosis rates, you may need to take extra precautions to prevent HIV. This may include:

• use condoms or other barrier measures
• taking drugs to prevent HIV (preexposure prophylaxis or PrEP)
• get tested regularly for sexually transmitted infections

Keeping your immune system healthy also helps reduce your risk of developing tuberculosis. Eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep are all important to maintaining a healthy immune system.

LTB is an inactive tuberculosis infection. At this stage, the infection is asymptomatic and cannot infect others. It is also contagious and can cause symptomatic tuberculosis.

The best way to prevent LTB from becoming tuberculosis is to take the medicines needed to eliminate the bacteria. You can also reduce your risk of getting tuberculosis by: using the barrier method During sex and maintain a healthy immune system.