|
Latent TB Infection (LTBI) |
OR |
Active TB Disease |
|---|---|---|
|
TB germ has entered the body, but is not growing (dormant) |
Status |
TB germ has entered the body and is growing (replicating) |
|
Positive |
Skin Test |
May be positive or negative |
|
No active TB disease |
Chest X-Ray, CT scan, or MRI |
Most show active TB in chest OR other parts of the body (e.g., lymph node, spine, kidney |
|
No TB germs in sputum |
Sputum |
May have TB germs in sputum |
|
No symptoms |
Symptoms |
Symptoms become more severe over time (e.g., cough, chest pain, chills, weakness, fever, weight loss, night sweats, coughing up blood) |
|
Not Contagious Cannot pass TB germ to anyone else |
Infectiousness |
Contagious If disease is in the lungs and not properly treated with medication |
|
Person is at risk of developing disease in the future |
Associated Risks |
Person has disease and must be treated to prevent disease from getting worse or spreading to others |
|
May be prescribed medications for 6-9 months to prevent disease from developing |
Treatment |
Requires treatment with several medications for at least 6 months to cure the disease |
