by Shakeeba Anwar

Created on: October 11, 2006   Last Updated: August 21, 2007

Tuberculosis is more a disease of the third world.It is more common in the areas where there is poverty , overcrowding , and bad hygiene.Actually it is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis which is a bacterium.It usually affects the lungs and the most common route of spread is dropplet infection i.e when the person who's sputum is AFB(acid fast bacilli) positive sneezes or coughs.it is also spread thru fomites i.e using the same utensils or articles used by the infected person.Ideally the sputum should be coughed out in a vessel containing soil so that it is absorbed into it.spitting here and there can also increase the spread.The other form of tuberculosis is intestinal tuberculosis which is cause by mycobacterium bovis and it is spread by drinking unpasteurised milk.renal tuberculosis is another form which involves the kidneys.Sometimes there is disseminated infection resulting in milliary tuberculosis in which the tubercle bacilli are disseminated throughout the body even the brain.Tuberculous meningitis is also common in the third world which can even cause cranial nerve palsies especially the 3rd and 6th cranial nerves.

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