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Disease of Study: Tuberculosis (3.23.25)

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Disease of Study: Tuberculosis (3.23.25)

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Infectious Agent (Scientific Name): Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Genus: Mycobacterium
Species: tuberculosis

Why it matters/Why I chose this as my disease of study

High global relevance: TB remains one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide.

Tons of published research: WHO, CDC, and peer-reviewed journals constantly publish data on transmission, treatment, drug resistance, and vaccination.

TB intersects with many fields: public health, microbiology, immunology, and epidemiology.

Point of Origin (3.30.25)

-Where was tuberculosis first detected?

Tuberculosis has been around for thousands of years. It was found in Egyptian mummies (so it likely started in ancient Egypt) but it became well known in Europe during the 1800s.

-What was the suspected infectious agent?

It’s caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

-What type of disease is it?

Tuberculosis is a reemerging infectious disease.
That means it used to be under control, but now it's coming back in some places. Because of things such as drug resistance and weakened immune systems (like in people with HIV).

Disease Spread (4.6.25)

- Where (e.g., what geographical regions) did the disease spread to?

Scientists believe tuberculosis first appeared in East Africa, thousands of years ago. From there, it gradually spread into Asia and Europe, and later reached North and South America during European exploration, eventually spreading worldwide. Essentially, tuberculosis traveled wherever people moved or traded. Today, it mostly affects crowded areas and regions with fewer resources, like cities or poorer communities, because the disease spreads easily when people live very close together. However, tuberculosis can still affect anyone, anywhere, even in areas with good medicine and healthcare, if they're exposed to someone who is sick.

https://www.history.com/articles/when-early-humans-left-africa-tuberculosis-traveled-with-them

-What was the timeline of the spread?

Ancient Times: TB has been present in humans for thousands of years. Evidence of TB has been found in East Africa and in Egyptian mummies (as early as 2400 BCE).

1700s–1800s: The disease spread widely in Europe during the Industrial Revolution, especially in crowded urban environments.

Late 1800s–Early 1900s: TB became a leading cause of death in the U.S. and Europe.

1940s: The development of antibiotics like streptomycin reduced death rates.

1980s–1990s: TB surged again due to the HIV/AIDS crisis and the rise of drug-resistant TB strains.

2000s–Present: Global efforts have reduced TB deaths, but it still remains a major threat in many parts of the world.

https://www.cdc.gov/world-tb-day/history/index.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7263064/

- Approximately how many people were affected (illness and/or death)?

It’s estimated that tuberculosis has affected billions of people throughout history and has caused more deaths than almost any other disease. Even though effective medicines and research exist today, around 10 million people still get sick from tuberculosis annually. Worldwide, about 1.5 million people die each year from tuberculosis, especially in countries that have fewer doctors, hospitals, or resources.

https://www.who.int/health-topics/tuberculosis

- If available, include a picture or a link to a map in your Padlet post that shows the location the disease has been detected.

https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/23105237/g_palaeotb.jpg

https://padlet.com/anava2_10/ecol-409-ashley-nava-5jhcdw9wbjjhj8px

Virulence of Tuberculosis (TB) (4/13/25)

Definition of Virulence:

Virulence is the measure of how harmful or severe a disease is once someone is infected.

It describes the ability of a pathogen to cause damage to its host.

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/57746?utm_source=chatgpt.com

How virulent is TB?

TB is moderately to highly virulent.

It can cause severe illness, especially when not treated.

Mainly affects the lungs but can spread to other parts of the body (extrapulmonary TB).

Can be fatal if left untreated.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3544749/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30543938/

Has TB’s virulence changed over time?

Yes, TB's virulence has changed with time.

In the past, TB was a leading cause of death worldwide.

With antibiotics (like streptomycin introduced in the 1940s), its impact decreased.

However, new drug-resistant strains (like MDR-TB and XDR-TB) have emerged.

These strains are more difficult to treat and can cause more severe disease, increasing the threat.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3544749/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26119086/

Medical Advances (4/20/25)

How was the disease handled by the health care community?

Strategies such as treatment and prevention were used by the health care community to Handle TB. Treatments involved many drugs while supervised to focus on both active and latent TB. Preventions also includes vaccinations such as BCG and promote hygiene practices.

What medical advances were used in combatting the disease?

There are many advances that have been made to the prevention/fighting off of TB. Antibiotics such as streptomycin along with other drugs such as isoniazid and rifampin has helped into the medical advances/fighting of this disease.

Were any new technologies applied to this disease? What were they?

New technologies that are being applied to TB would include but is not limited to the development of non-sputum based test, accelerated drug discovery, and computer aided detection (CAD) using digital chest radiography.

Leadership Response (4/27/25)

1. How was TB handled by leadership/government?

They put sick people in special hospitals also known as sanatoriums to keep them away from those that are sick to stop the spread .

Later when antibiotics were found they focused more on giving medicine to cure it.

Governments and health groups promote ads and programs to teach people about TB.

2. What new/innovative things were used?

DOTS program: Health workers made sure people took all their medicine so they wouldn’t stay sick.

TB vaccines (BCG): Kids were given shots to help prevent TB.

Mobile clinics: Trucks and pop up clinics went to far distances/had to reach places to treat people.

3. What could leadership have done better?

Kept giving money and attention to TB even when it seemed under control.

Helped poor and rural areas more.

Focused more on stopping TB early, not just treating it when it got bad.

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1. Societal and Sociological Impact

Stigma and Isolation: TB was associated with poverty, “moral weakness,” or unclean living, which caused social rejection of patients. People with TB were often isolated or institutionalized in sanatoriums.

Class Divide: TB highlighted economic inequalities. Poorer populations were hit harder due to overcrowded living conditions, poor nutrition, and limited access to healthcare.

Public Health Policies: Governments began implementing public health systems (isolation, screenings, contact tracing) due to TB’s infectious nature.

2. Did Society’s Behaviors Change?

Yes. Hygiene and ventilation standards improved.

Workplace and Housing Reform: Factories, schools, and housing were redesigned to have more airflow and less crowding.

Smoking Decline: As TB became associated with lung damage, anti smoking campaigns gained stronger footing.

3. Did Society “Learn” from the Physical Effects?

Yes. The TB epidemic taught society the importance of:

Early detection and treatment access

Public health education

Vaccination (BCG vaccine)

Global cooperation in fighting infectious diseases