A chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, most often affecting the lungs, historically called consumption for the wasting it produced. It was among the leading causes of death in nineteenth-century Europe and, per the World Health Organization, remains one of the world's leading infectious killers. Robert Koch identified the causative bacillus in 1882, a discovery that helped establish germ theory; effective antibiotic treatment did not arrive until streptomycin's introduction in the 1940s.
Facts
Condition Classinfectious, bacterial, chronic 3 Causative AgentMycobacterium tuberculosis 3 First DescribedMarks Robert Koch's identification of the tuberculosis bacillus, not the first recognition of the disease itself, which is far older. First Described (Era)Skeletal evidence of tuberculosis has been found in human remains thousands of years old, and the Greek physician Hippocrates described the disease, under the name phthisis, circa 400 BCE. 4 PrevalenceAn estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis in 2022, and it remained one of the world's leading infectious causes of death, according to World Health Organization data. 5 Classification
Body SystemSourced to the subject's own account ICD-10 ChapterI: Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases 2 Communicable or Non-communicable Transmission RouteSourced to the subject's own account Causative Agent
Causative Agent (category) FAQs
Who identified the bacterium that causes tuberculosis?
Robert Koch, in 1882.
Robert Koch identified the causative bacillus in 1882, a discovery that helped establish germ theory.
Why was tuberculosis once called consumption?
Because of the wasting it produced.
It was historically called consumption for the wasting that the disease produced.
Connections
Associated With
Koch's 1882 identification of the tuberculosis bacillus is part of the same evidentiary program, Koch's postulates, that established germ theory.
Source The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of HumanityRoy Porter
Source Infectious Disease Subspecialties Career Information
X-rays, Discoveries Chest radiography became central to tuberculosis diagnosis and to twentieth-century mass screening campaigns.
Source The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of HumanityRoy Porter
Long-Form Articles
Treated By
Effective treatment requires a multi-drug antibiotic regimen (streptomycin from the 1940s, later isoniazid and rifampin) sustained for months; a single antibiotic alone permits resistant strains to emerge.
Source The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of HumanityRoy Porter
Source BCG vaccine (Wikipedia)
Source Medical uses of silver (Wikipedia)
Source Contact tracing (Wikipedia)
Directly observed treatment, short course, known as DOTS, is the World Health Organization strategy for treating tuberculosis.
Source Max Gerson (Wikipedia)
Source Management of tuberculosis (Wikipedia)
Source Ozone therapy - Wikipedia
Source Streptomycin (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Tuberculosis (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia infobox, field/specialty parameter
Infectious disease, pulmonology
Lead section, transmission-route statement
Tuberculosis is spread from one person to the next through the air when people who have active TB in their lungs cough, spit, speak, or sneeze.
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: ICD-10
WikipediaList of chapters, Chapter IQuote, List of chapters, Chapter I
Certain infectious and parasitic diseases
3. Encyclopaedia Britannica
4. The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity
Roy Porter, W. W. Norton and Company, 1997
5. World Health Organization Fact Sheets
Infectious Disease Subspecialties Career Information
American College of PhysiciansAssociated With: Infectious DiseaseView the Source Streptomycin (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationTreated By: Streptomycin, Lead sectionQuote, Treated By: Streptomycin, Lead section
used to treat a number of bacterial infections, including tuberculosis
Management of tuberculosis (Wikipedia)
Treated By: Management of Tuberculosis, Lead: treats TuberculosisQuote, Treated By: Management of Tuberculosis, Lead: treats Tuberculosis
A patient is expected to be free from all living TB bacteria after six months of therapy in Pulmonary TB or 8-10 months in Miliary TB. Latent tuberculosis or latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is treated with three to nine months of isoniazid alone.
BCG vaccine (Wikipedia)
Treated By: BCG Vaccine, Lead - treats-conditionQuote, Treated By: BCG Vaccine, Lead - treats-condition
The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is a vaccine primarily used against tuberculosis (TB).
Ozone therapy - Wikipedia
Treated By: Ozone Therapy, Article text, use for TuberculosisQuote, Treated By: Ozone Therapy, Article text, use for Tuberculosis
In 1892 The Lancet published an article describing the administration of ozone for treatment of tuberculosis.
Contact tracing (Wikipedia)
Treated By: Contact Tracing, OutbreaksQuote, Treated By: Contact Tracing, Outbreaks
Diseases for which contact tracing is commonly performed include tuberculosis, vaccine-preventable infections like measles, sexually transmitted infections (including HIV), blood-borne infections, Ebola, bacterial infections, and novel virus infections (e.g., SARS-CoV, H1N1, and SARS-CoV-2).
Max Gerson (Wikipedia)
Treated By: Gerson Therapy, Medical careerQuote, Treated By: Gerson Therapy, Medical career
By 1927, he was specializing in the treatment of tuberculosis, developing the Gerson-Sauerbruch-Hermannsdorfer diet, claiming it was a major advance in the treatment of tuberculosis.
Medical uses of silver (Wikipedia)
Treated By: Colloidal Silver, Alternative medicineQuote, Treated By: Colloidal Silver, Alternative medicine
Since about 1990, there has been a resurgence of the promotion of colloidal silver as a dietary supplement (used internally), marketed with claims of its being an essential mineral supplement, or that it can prevent or treat numerous diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, HIV/AIDS, herpes, and tuberculosis.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.