Tuberculosis (TB)

We learnt briefly about TB in AS Biology this week so I thought I would do a small bit of research on the disease and write briefly about it here.

It is an infectious disease transmitted by airborne droplets of Mycobacterium, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis however it is not highly infectious and additional circumstances often contribute to its spread, for example overcrowding, poor housing or an already weakened immune system.

The disease can affect any area of the body but it is usually the lungs that are affected. The alveoli cells become infected and damaged, as do the surrounding blood vessels. This can lead to the coughing up of blood and pus (which can be fatal) but is often prevented by the use of antibiotics.

These antibiotics need to be taken continually for at least 6 months – a regime which is much harder to implement in less developed countries. In addition a resistance is being observed in some cases (due to patients not finishing the full course of antibiotics for whatever reason) so the use of dual antibiotic treatment may occur.

Whilst researching I came across this article, showing an 8% rise in cases in London. It is thought to be caused by an increase in homelessness in the city (poor housing is one of the influencing factors I discovered earlier). Migration could also influence in the spread of the disease, with people migrating to London from less developed countries where the disease is more common.