Video: What Is Tuberculosis?

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Tuberculosis, or TB, is caused by bacterium called microbacterium tuberculosis, and it is essentially an infection of the lungs that is inhaled from the air. Find out how enlarged lymph nodes can be a sign of tuberculosis with help from a nurse and respiratory care practitioner in this free video on respiratory therapy and healthy breathing.

Video Transcript

I'll talk to you briefly about what is Tuberculosis, better known as TB. First of all it's cause by a bacterium which is microbacterium tuberculosis. Back in 1882, Dr. Robert Koch who won the Nobel prize came up with the diagnosis with tuberculosis. It's an infection of the lungs, it's inhale from the air; it's airborne. It's not contagious as far as touching someone with clothes or eating like that, but it's airborne from someone coughing on you or spitting on you or something like that; but it's airborne. It's, aero, droplets from the air. It's normally seen on chest x-ray as a pneumonia and the hollower areas which is in the upper parts of your lung and the lymph nodes are are usually very swollen and enlarged. It's diagnose with sputum test, skin test and a chest x-ray. Sputum and chest x-ray is the most valuable means of diagnose in TB. There might be some harden areas on x-ray which would show as caps, encapsulated areas that are, would be an inactive TB and because it gotten harden in that area and it did not spread. Active is another see that you would see it on TB, on the x-ray and with that, that would require follow up and antibiotics and treatment and follow especially with your doctor. Your skin test is usually two to ten weeks, especially before the infection or even shows itself. Your best test is your x-rays and your sputum. The patient when usually present with cough, fever, white loss and tiredness and nighttime sweats. That is probably one of the some of the most important things that you could know about TB, what to look for and some of the signs. And what is TB? It's cause by a bacterium which is microbacterium tuberculosis.

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What Is Tuberculosis?

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