Mycobacterium tuberculosis Flashcards
What type of pathogen is Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
Acid fast bacterium
Where does Mycobacterium tuberculosis reside?
Lungs of humans
What is the most common disease/infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis: A pneumonia disease/respiratory infection
What is the portal of entry of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
Enters through the nose/mouth
Transmitted through coughing, sneezing
What is the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
Colonizes lower respiratory tissue mucous membranes
The acid fast cell wall does not allow lysosomal degradation, so it survives intracellularly in white cells
Can Mycobacterium tuberculosis be treated with antibiotics?
Yes, with multiple antibiotics, increasing problem with resistance
Is Mycobacterium tuberculosis a bad pathogen?
It does infect the host, but doesn’t cause disease (asymptomatic)
5% of the cases does progress to a disease
Latent because it’s there present, but doesn’t cause disease until later
