Microbiology Essay TB 
LaShundra Foster
Professor Ray Ramirez
BIOL 2420
December 5, 2014
Tuberculosis: Leading Disease Killer in the World Microbes orbit the world that is around us involving being in the air and on surfaces we may come in close contact with. In the medical terms, microbiology involves the study of microscopic organisms, bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa, algae, and multi cellular animal parasites (Baumann 3-5). It is important that we acquire knowledge of these subjects because there are many infectious diseases that can directly and indirectly affect our immediate environment and our family. Common bacterial diseases of the lower respiratory system include bacterial pneumonias, legionnaires’ disease, pertussis (whooping cough) and tuberculosis (TB) (VanMeter 219). When working in the medical setting, TB is a disease taken quite seriously due its etiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, and mortality rate. TB is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). This is a gram positive rod consisting of cell walls that are thick and contain peptidoglycan with abundant mycolic acid. Gram positive bacteria have cell walls with up to sixty percent mycolic acid (Baumann 65).This is a waxy lipid directly responsible for many unique characteristics of Mtb and other mycobacteria (Baumann 691). The mycolic acid assists these cells in surviving dessication which make it difficult to strain with regular water based dyes (Baumann 65). Mtb is small, slow growing and it can only live inside of people. It is also aerobic, so it needs oxygen to survive (NIH 1). When a person breathes in contaminated air, inhaled bacteria reaches the lungs. This is when Mtb infection begins, however, not everyone infected gets sick. This disease can be dormant for years and not cause disease that in turn will become latent. Individuals that have latent infections will not get sick but some will eventually get the disease (NIH1). There is about five percent to ten percent of infected people who don’t get
Professor Ray Ramirez
BIOL 2420
December 5, 2014
Tuberculosis: Leading Disease Killer in the World Microbes orbit the world that is around us involving being in the air and on surfaces we may come in close contact with. In the medical terms, microbiology involves the study of microscopic organisms, bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa, algae, and multi cellular animal parasites (Baumann 3-5). It is important that we acquire knowledge of these subjects because there are many infectious diseases that can directly and indirectly affect our immediate environment and our family. Common bacterial diseases of the lower respiratory system include bacterial pneumonias, legionnaires’ disease, pertussis (whooping cough) and tuberculosis (TB) (VanMeter 219). When working in the medical setting, TB is a disease taken quite seriously due its etiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, and mortality rate. TB is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). This is a gram positive rod consisting of cell walls that are thick and contain peptidoglycan with abundant mycolic acid. Gram positive bacteria have cell walls with up to sixty percent mycolic acid (Baumann 65).This is a waxy lipid directly responsible for many unique characteristics of Mtb and other mycobacteria (Baumann 691). The mycolic acid assists these cells in surviving dessication which make it difficult to strain with regular water based dyes (Baumann 65). Mtb is small, slow growing and it can only live inside of people. It is also aerobic, so it needs oxygen to survive (NIH 1). When a person breathes in contaminated air, inhaled bacteria reaches the lungs. This is when Mtb infection begins, however, not everyone infected gets sick. This disease can be dormant for years and not cause disease that in turn will become latent. Individuals that have latent infections will not get sick but some will eventually get the disease (NIH1). There is about five percent to ten percent of infected people who don’t get
Cited: "Basic TB Facts."Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 Sept. 2012. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. Bauman, Robert W. Microbiology with Diseases by Body System, 4th Ed. London: Pearson/Benjamin Cummings, 2012. Print. Bell, Christine. "The Treatment of Patients with TB and the Role of the Nurse." Nursing Times. Nursing Times, 7 Sept. 2004. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. Knechel, Nancy. "Tuberculosis: Pathophysiology, Clinical Features, and Diagnosis." Tuberculosis: Pathophysiology, Clinical Features, and Diagnosis. 5 Apr. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. "Tuberculosis (TB)." Cause. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 5 Mar. 2012. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. "Tuberculosis." Tuberculosis. Mayo Clinic, 1 Aug. 2014. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. Newman, Helen. SESIH Infection Control. NSW Government, 1 Apr. 2011. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. VanMeter, Karin, and William G. VanMeter. Microbiology for the Healthcare Professional. Maryland Heights, Mo.: Mosby/Elsevier, 2010. Print.