Tuberculosis

Question 1

What bacteria causes Tuberculosis?

Answer 1

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Discovered by Robert Koch

Question 2

What diseases can Tuberculosis cause?

Answer 2

1. Pulmonary tuberculosis (lungs)
2. Miliary tuberculosis (disseminated to organs/tissues)
3. Potts disease (bones)
4. Addison’s disease (kidneys)

Question 3

What are the general symptoms of Pulmonary Tuberculosis?

Answer 3

1. Weight loss
2. Loss of appetite
3. Night sweats
4. Fever
5. Fatigue
6. Chills
7. Coughing (3 weeks or longer)
8. Hemoptysis (coughing up blood)
9. Chest pain

Question 4

What THREE people are credited with the discovery of TB?

Answer 4

1. Benjamin Martin
2. Jean-Antoine Villemin
3. Robert Koch

Question 5

TRUE OR FALSE: Mycobacterium is Gram +ve

Answer 5

TRUE

Question 6

What phylum does Mycobacterium belong to?

Answer 6

Actinobacteria

Question 7

Why is Mycobacterium tuberculosis hard to treat with antibiotics?

Answer 7

Thick and waxy cell wall

Question 8

How was TB brought under control in the 20th century?

Answer 8

1. Improved hygiene, sanitation and living conditions
2. Realisation that TB was an infectious disease
3. Pasteurisation of milk
4. Public health campaigns
5. Antibiotics - streptomycin
6. Vaccination

Question 9

How is latent TB treated?

Answer 9

Isoniazid for 6 months

Question 10

How is active TB treated?

Answer 10

Isoniazid and Rifampin for 9 months

Question 11

Who created the BCG vaccine for TB?

Answer 11

Albert Calmette and Camille Guerin

Question 12

What is the BCG vaccine?

Answer 12

An attenuated variant of Mycobacterium bovis

Question 13

How many cases of TB are recorded in Ireland per year?

Answer 13

~300 cases pa