Tuberculosis (TB) Poster

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

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