Summary

Tuberculosis is a serious infection caused most commonly by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium or one of three other organisms of the Mycobacterium genus. Tuberculosis primarily affects the lungs, but the infection can attack any part of the body. If left untreated, tuberculosis can cause lung damage, meningitis, and even death; the World Health Organization reported 1.3 million deaths due to tuberculosis in 2008. Those at highest risk for tuberculosis include those with weakened immune systems and those in areas of the world with poor nutrition and poor access to health care. Most cases of tuberculosis can be treated with a combination of medications that are taken for several months, but failure by many people to fully follow their course of treatment has led to the emergence of drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis bacteria. Tuberculosis, Second Edition covers the history, causes, and treatments of this potentially deadly disease.

Chapters include:

• The History of Tuberculosis
• The Tuberculosis Bacteria
• Transmission from Organism to Organism
• What Happens Once a Person Is Infected
• The Immune Response to Tuberculosis Infection
• Screening for Tuberculosis
• The Tuberculosis Vaccine.

Specifications

Full-color photographs and illustrations. Index. Glossary. References. Endnotes. Sidebars. Web sites. Further reading.

About the Author(s)

Alan Hecht, D.C., is a practicing chiropractor in New York. He is an adjunct at several institutions, including Farmingdale State College, Nassau Community College, Hofstra University, and Long Island University-C.W. Post. Hecht received a B.S. in biology/premedical studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University, an M.S. in basic medical sciences from the New York University School of Medicine, and a D.C. from New York Chiropractic College.

Kim R. Finer received her B.A. in microbiology at Miami University and her Ph.D. in veterinary microbiology at Texas A&M University. She has written textbooks on the use of Internet resources in the classroom and has published numerous papers in the areas of biology education as well as in her research area. She received the Exxon Foundation Innovation in Education Award in 1996 and was elected to Who's Who Among America's Teachers in 1998.

Foreword by David Heymann, World Health Organization