a person can become infected with tuberculosis bacteria when he or she inhales minute particles of infected sputum from the air. the bacteria get into the air when someone who has a tuberculosis lung infection coughs sneezes shouts or spits (which is common in some cultures). people who are nearby can then possibly breathe the bacteria into their lungs. you don't get tb by just touching the clothes or shaking the hands of someone who is infected. tuberculosis is spread (transmitted) primarily from person to person by breathing infected air during close contact. there is a form of atypical tuberculosis however that is transmitted by drinking unpasteurized milk. related bacteria called mycobacterium bovis cause this form of tb. previously this type of bacteria was a major cause of tb in children but it rarely causes tb now since most milk is pasteurized (undergoes a heating process that kills the bacteria).
how does a person get tuberculosis?