Current trends of Tuberculosis infection

Current trends of Tuberculosis infection

Tuberculosis is among the many infectious diseases affecting both already developed and developing countries in the world.1, 2,3 Research shows that infectious diseases are continuing to emerge and remerge every year. Internationally, various factors contribute to the emergence of different infectious diseases threatening human life. These factors that influence the spreading of new pathogens include aging, globalization, urbanization, tourism, and change of climate.4 Tuberculosis infection is an air transmitted disease that causes the effect on the breathing system of humans. Mycobacterium is a pathogenic organism that influences tuberculosis (TB) infection. The germ associated occurs and cause-effect when the microscopic agents of untreated TB form are transmitted from one person to the other through air spit, sneeze, and cough.1,2,3,5

Notably, the emergence and re-emergence of TB infection in the World are still high, and studies indicate there is an increase in the mortality rate of TB infected people globally.1,2,3 Particularly, the morbidity and mortality rate of TB infection in the United States has been decreasing for the past three years. Between 2016 and 2017, TB cases rate reduced by approximately 2%, and it was believed in 2002 it will reduce by 35%.2,1 However, complete elimination of TB infections is a challenge to research and clinicians team in the World, and many efforts are needed. Research indicates that Mycobacterium causing TB infection in humans is becoming resistant to reliable and relevant drugs, posing a great threat to both developed and developing countries. Tuberculosis infection primarily affects a high population of HIV infected people. The infection has various health effects on the infected body. Symptoms associated with TB infection include fever, fatigue, weight loss, high body temperatures, and headaches.

The infection can attack the lungs of a human resulting in pulmonary tuberculosis. Hence, symptoms of pulmonary Tb include chest pains and excessive coughs up to one month and spots of blood during coughing.2 Therefore, the researchers and clinicians are focusing on appropriate measures to prevent and treat TB infections to eliminate the disease. The elimination of TB infection is beneficial to the economic, social, and health sectors in the United States. Although the elimination, if appropriate, control measures are challenging. It is necessary to determine latent TB disease and provide appropriate treatments among high-risk individuals. Hence, analyzing current trends, causative agents, and impacts of tuberculosis infection among high risk individuals is appropriate, resulting in the invention of relevant control measures to prevent and treat TB infection.

Impacts of TB infection

Even after efforts of providing treatment to individuals infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis, TB infection is still and will continue spreading among the high risk people around the globe. Therefore, health practitioners and researchers must understand the risk factors associated with mycobacterium TB. Morbidity and mortality rate among high risk individuals due to the increasing transmission of TB infection is threatening the global economic and social growth.1 In 2017, the World Health Organization recorded a rate of approximately 10 million TB infection cases with a mortality rate of 1.5 million. The high population rate infected people in the globe threaten the economic state of different countries, thus the requirement of appropriate measures.1,2,3 There are various risk factors of TB infection that causes impacts on human life. These factors include substance abuse such as tobacco and cigarettes and air pollution. Research indicates children are prone to TB infection because of their weak immune system affected by mycobacterium cell.2 Children infected with tuberculosis likely carry TB pathogenic organisms to their adulthood, hence causing an increase in pulmonary tuberculosis incidences. Other TB associated factors include individuals with Human Deficiency Virus (HIV), substance abuse, and fatal lung diseases, thus increasing the replication and progression process of mycobacterium cells to chronic TB diseases.2,5

Moreover, mycobacterium drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is the cause of high morbidity and death rates on high risk population. However, drug resistance occurs when patients misuse antibiotics that destroy bacterial infections in the body. Drug misuse occurrence is due to ineffective drug prescription, poor-quality medicines, and patients failing to complete the prescribed dose.6 Research shows that mycobacterium drug-resistant occurs when the infectious cells become resistant to drugs such as Rifampin (RIF) and Isoniazid (INH) that was used to treat TB.5 The impact of MDR-TB is that TB infected patients receive poor treatment of the mycobacterium infection due to an increasing resistance of MDR-TB resulting in extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). XDR-TB occurs because of the disease is resistant to isoniazid drugs such as a combination of Rifampin, fluoroquinolone, and either kanamycin or amikacin. Mostly, for HIV patients, the XDR-TB use weakens their immune system, thus leading to possible deaths due to the development of TB diseases.5,6

 

Control measures of TB infections globally

Health organizations are experiencing challenges and adverse outcomes from treatment and prevention of tuberculosis infection outbreaks in the world.4 As a global threat, TB infection control measures require multiple fonts and effective treatment and diagnosis processes.4,7 Health researchers should investigate the cause of the TB outbreak and its transmission among specific individuals. Health professionals and scientist should increase surveillance structure and invention of new and strong antimicrobial drugs to treat TB infections successfully.4 Invention of new vaccines procedure will require government support to fund the activity,4 although it is dragging the world’s economic growth.2,3

Furthermore, the government should provide preventive measures to high risk individuals of TB infection. The proposals involve supporting people in improving their housing and nutritional values. People exposed to mycobacterium infection due to untreated active disease are a risk to the development of TB disease that can cause death.3

Effective control measures of TB infection require early diagnosis and treatment. The process involves prophylactic therapy, which is essential in minimizing the disease effects and death rates among individuals at risk. Since HIV is a co-infection causing chronic TB diseases and mortality, researchers and health professionals encourage the infected patients to undergo the receive counseling and therapy care.3

Health officers should arrange for health campaign programs to educate high risk communities about TB infection and prevention processes. Different cities are bound to cultural views and beliefs such that they avoid medication incase of TB outbreaks; thus, knowledge is appropriate. Therefore, such communities need experience on early screening, diagnosis, and practice measures of smoking cessations.2

On the other hand, high risk individuals to TB infection and those with MDR-TB should receive appropriate risk assessment and medications. It is suitable for clinicians to consider assessing and treating infected people individually. The process will help health professionals diagnose the infection and the exposure intensity, the causative agents and risk factors, the particular drug resistance, and the adverse effects.7 however, clinicians should give necessary preventive and treatment medications to high risk individuals only, such as HIV infected people, children, and people under immunosuppressive therapy care. Hence, appropriate latent TB infection (LTBI) tests are required to confirm the infection capacity. Appropriate medications selected according to the susceptibility rate of antibiotic drugs are essential.7

 

 

References

1. MacNeil, Adam, et al. “Global epidemiology of tuberculosis and progress toward achieving global targets—2017.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 68.11 (2019): 263.
2. Adetifa, Ifedayo MO, et al. “Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Close Childhood Contacts of Adults with Pulmonary Tuberculosis is Increased by Secondhand Exposure to Tobacco.” The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 97.2 (2017): 429-432.
3. Grosset, Jacques H., and Richard E. Chaisson, eds. Handbook of Tuberculosis. Springer International Publishing, 2017.
4. Bloom, David E., Steven Black, and Rino Rappuoli. “Emerging infectious diseases: a proactive approach.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114.16 (2017): 4055-4059.
5. Golla, Vera, et al. “The impact of drug resistance on the risk of tuberculosis infection and disease in child household contacts: a cross sectional study.” BMC infectious diseases 17.1 (2017): 593.
6. Shukla, Amitabh Das, and Abhinav Chaudhary. “IMPROPER ANTI-TB TREATMENT-ALMOST CERTAIN RECIPE FOR MDR-TB.” Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences 8.29 (2019): 2307-2311.
7. World Health Organization. Latent tuberculosis infection: updated and consolidated guidelines for programmatic management. No. WHO/CDS/TB/2018.4. World Health Organization, 2018.