Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria cause the treatable infection tuberculosis (TB). TB typically occurs in the lungs but can affect any part of the body. Not everyone with TB becomes sick. Symptoms of the disease include cough, fatigue, weight loss, fever and night sweats.
TB has 2 stages—latent TB infection (LTBI) and active TB disease. Many people with LTBI never develop active TB disease. Others progress from LTBI to active TB disease—often due to a weakened immune system. Active TB disease is life-threatening.
LTBI
- Do not show symptoms.
- Do not feel ill.
- Not contagious.
- May have positive TB skin reaction and blood tests.
- Usually have normal chest x-ray.
- May develop active TB disease, if left untreated.
Active TB disease
- May show symptoms.
- May feel ill.
- May be contagious.
- Have positive TB test results.
- If TB is in their lungs, will have abnormal chest x-rays.
- Need treatment to be cured.
Providers must report any TB infection, latent or active.
Report suspected cases immediately. Visit our Report Notifiable Conditions page, call the reporting line: 360-385-9400 during business hours, (360) 385-9400 and select option 3 after hours, or fax a form to (360) 385-3878 or fax the Reportable Disease Fax Form to the confidential fax (360) 385-3878.
Testing
- TB Screening
- Adult TB Risk Assessment—Washington State Department of Health (DOH).
- Pediatric TB Risk Assessment—DOH.
- TB Symptom Screening—DOH.
- Tuberculosis Skin Test Record—DOH.
- Guidelines for treating LTBI—DOH.
- Health Care Provider Communication and Education Resources—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Targeted Tuberculin Testing and Treatment of LTBI—CDC.
Treatment
- Core Curriculum on TB: What the Clinician Should Know—CDC.
- Curry International Tuberculosis Center—University of California San Francisco.
- TB Services and Standards Manual—DOH.
- World Health Organization TB Page—WHO.
- Updated Guidelines for Using Interferon Gamma Release Assays to Detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection – United States, 2010—CDC.
Disease Information and Resources
- Tuberculosis Information—CDC
- Tuberculosis Information – Español—CDC
- Tuberculosis—DOH
- TB toolkit for healthcare providers—DOH.
- Treatment Regimens for LTBI—DOH.
- Facts about TB—DOH.
- Guidelines for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Healthcare Settings—CDC.
- TB 101 for Healthcare Workers (Web-based Course)—CDC
- Data and Reports—DOH