Question

Which of the following statements with respect to tuberculosis is incorrect?

Answer 1

Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. It multiplies once it enters the lungs. It can cause severe symptoms such as coughing up blood and mucus that lasts three weeks or longer, sweating at night, pain in the chest, chills, fever, etc. Individuals with a weak immune system, people with metabolic diseases such as diabetes are mainly at risk of getting this infection. Close contact with an infected person transmit this contagious airborne disease.

Tests for diagnosis include body fluids tests like blood and sputum ( tested in the laboratories for the presence or absence of TB bacteria), skin tests (Mantoux tuberculin skin test - tuberculin protein injected into the skin and looking for swelling), and chest X-rays.

For tuberculosis treatment :
Administration of drugs such as antibiotics is used to kill the infections.
For patients with latent TB infections, an antibiotic isoniazid can be used for preventing the latent infection from becoming active.
DOTS (directly observed treatment short-course) is a widely accepted strategy for treating TB. This treatment involves providing good drugs to the patients on a regular basis and monitoring the state for 6 months.
Bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG) is a vaccine that makes an individual immune against tuberculosis (TB). This vaccine is usually administered at birth to prevent severe TB in infants.

Mycobacterium leprae causes leprosy. It affects nerves, skin, eyes and lining of the nose.