Transmission

• spread through aerosols created by coughing or sneezing
• infectious dose is very low where the inhalation of a single bacterium can cause a new infection
• People with prolonged or frequent contact are at high risk of being infected with an estimated 22% infection rate.
• Those who are at risk of contracting TB:

1. People who inject drugs using unsanitary needles.
2. People in areas where TB is common
3. Immunocompromised patients
4. Residents and employees of high-risk congregate settings

• Transmission can only occur from people with active Tuberculosis

Biological characteristic

• an aerobic bacterium that divides every 16 to 20 hours
• Facultative intracellular pathogens usually infecting mononuclear phagocytes
• has a cell wall but lacks a phospholipid outer membrane
• classified as a Gram-positive bacterium but stains very weakly Gram-positive or does not retain dye due to the high lipid & mycolic acid content of its cell wall
• is a small rod-like bacillus that can withstand weak disinfectants and survive in a dry state for weeks
• can grow only within the cells of a host organism
• classified as an acid-fast bacillus as it retains certain stains after being treated with acidic solution
• common staining technique is the Ziehl-Neelsen stain

Epidemiology information

Communicable Diseases -> Tuberculosis (as of 17 March 2008) -> Estimated TB -> Estimated TB incidence -> TB incidence, all forms (per year) -> Total
(Periodicity: Year, Applied Time Period: from 2006 to 2006)
	2006
Malaysia	26,877
Communicable Diseases -> Tuberculosis (as of 17 March 2008) -> Estimated TB -> Estimated TB incidence -> TB incidence, all forms (per 100 000 population per year) -> Total
(Periodicity: Year, Applied Time Period: from 2006 to 2006)
	2006
Malaysia	103

Communicable Diseases -> Tuberculosis (as of 17 March 2008) -> Case detection rate (MDG indicator 24) -> Whole country new smear-positive case detection rate (%) -> Total
(Periodicity: Year, Applied Time Period: from 2006 to 2006)
	2006
Malaysia	80
Communicable Diseases -> Tuberculosis (as of 17 March 2008) -> Case detection rate (MDG indicator 24) -> Whole country all new case detection rate (%) -> Total
(Periodicity: Year, Applied Time Period: from 2006 to 2006)
	2006
Malaysia	80