Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex

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Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (M. tuberculosis complex, MTBC) is a group of closely related species of bacteria that includes Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis. Pronounced as my-co-bac-te-ri-um tu-ber-cu-lo-sis com-plex. The etymology of the term comes from the genus Mycobacterium, which is derived from the Greek mykes (fungus) and bakterion (small rod), and tuberculosis, which is derived from the Latin tuberculum (small swelling).

Species

The MTBC includes the following species:

Pathogenesis

The species in the MTBC are aerobic bacteria that are capable of surviving in a variety of environments within the host. They are transmitted primarily through the air when people who have an active TB infection cough, sneeze, or otherwise transmit respiratory fluids through the air. Most infections do not have symptoms, in which case it is known as latent tuberculosis. About 10% of latent infections progress to active disease which, if left untreated, kills about half of those affected.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of tuberculosis is challenging and requires a combination of medical imaging (primarily chest X-rays), a tuberculin skin test (TST), blood tests, as well as microscopic examination and microbiological culture of bodily fluids.

Treatment

Treatment of tuberculosis is difficult and requires administration of multiple antibiotics over a long period of time. Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem in multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).

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