Can TB bacteria remain inactive?
Many people who have latent TB infection never develop TB disease. In these people, the TB bacteria remain inactive for a lifetime without causing disease.
Can inactive TB become active after treatment?
The bacteria are still in your body, but they are not causing damage. However, latent TB bacteria can ‘wake up’ and become active in the future, making you ill. This can happen many years after you first breathe in TB bacteria.
Can inactive TB come back?
Even with treatment, however, tuberculosis reinfection is becoming a problem. It’s very common for people with tuberculosis to relapse during treatment. Treatment for tuberculosis symptoms can last anywhere from six months to a year, and sometimes more for drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Can inactive TB be cured?
Inactive TB must be cured to kill the TB bacteria before it becomes active TB and makes you very sick. Inactive TB is often treated with a medicine called isoniazid (INH). Most people are prescribed this medication daily for 9 months.
Is latent TB completely curable?
If you have a weakened immune system, or are experiencing another condition like HIV or cancer, your medical team may take special precautions with your treatment because you are at a higher risk of active TB infection and possible death. Despite these challenges, tuberculosis is considered treatable and curable.
How did I get latent tuberculosis?
Latent TB occurs when a person has the TB bacteria within their body, but the bacteria are present in very small numbers. They are kept under control by the body’s immune system and do not cause any symptoms. Latent TB is one of the two types of TB. The other type is TB disease.
Is latent tuberculosis common?
In the United States, up to 13 million people may have latent TB infection. Without treatment, on average 1 in 10 people with latent TB infection will get sick with TB disease in the future. The risk is higher for people with HIV, diabetes, or other conditions that affect the immune system.
What is inactive TB?
Inactive TB is also known as TB infection or latent TB. People with inactive TB are not sick and cannot spread TB to others. 1 out of 3 people in the world has inactive TB. Is inactive TB contagious? Inactive TB is not contagious and cannot be spread to others. TB can only be spread when inactive TB becomes active.
What is the risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB) from inactive TB?
Most people with inactive TB never develop active TB. For healthy people with inactive TB, the risk of developing active TB is about 5% within the first 2 years of becoming infected.
Is inactive TB contagious?
Inactive TB is not contagious and cannot be spread to others. TB can only be spread when inactive TB becomes active. Inactive TB can turn into active TB when the person’s immune system can no longer control the TB germ. The following people with inactive TB are most likely to get active TB: How is inactive TB treated?
How is inactive tuberculosis (TB) diagnosed?
A TB skin test (TST) is the most common way to diagnosis inactive TB. A small amount of liquid, called tuberculin, is injected under the skin on your forearm. Two to three days later, you must return to have your arm checked. If there is a reaction (induration), it will be measured to see if it is considered positive for TB.