Prevalence of mycobacterium tuberculosis and their possible risk factors in suspected tuberculosis patients of district mardan khyber pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the chronic contagious diseases caused by M.tuberculosis that affects humans and animals and one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the globe.1,2 It primarily causes pulmonary tuberculosis by affecting lungs of the patients but can also infects bones, meninges, joints, intestines, skin, lymph glands, kidneys, and body’s further organs during its second phase of infection and cause extra pulmonary tuberculosis.3 At the initial phase of infection, most of the individuals show symptomless tuberculosis while most of the patients developed imprecise symptoms like mild cough, wheeze, weight loss, evening pyrexia, night sweats, increased weight loss, lethargy, and general ill-health. However specific symptoms may be determined by the site of infection.4 M. tuberculosis is frequently spread from infected tuberculosis patients to other persons by aerosolized droplet nuclei which are generated during coughing, speaking, laughing sneezing and shouting. The droplets nuclei may persist in the air for some time and dry quickly, and when these nuclei breathe in by the individual it can achieve direct entrance to the terminal air passages. The infected person may be producing more than three thousand contagious particles per cough.5 It concerns a major health issue and cause serious illness among millions of people annually and considered the second leading cause of death after HIV infection.2