Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB mainly affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body such as the kidneys, spine, and brain. There are two types of TB conditions: latent TB infection (LTBI) and TB disease. Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick, but if the immune system cant control the infection, active TB disease can occur. Active TB disease can cause symptoms such as cough, coughing up blood or mucus, chest pain, pain with breathing or coughing, fever, chills, night sweats, weight loss, not wanting to eat, tiredness, and not feeling well in general. TB is spread from person to person through the air when a person with active TB disease in the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, talks, laughs, or sings. TB is not easy to catch, and you usually have to spend a lot of time in contact with someone who is contagious in order to catch it. People with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of developing active TB disease. TB disease can be treated with antibiotics, but it is important to finish the medicine and take the drugs exactly as prescribed to avoid becoming sick again or developing drug-resistant TB[[6]](https://medlineplus.gov/tuberculosis.ht...