tuberculosis (tb) is an infection caused by slow-growing bacteria that grow best in areas of the body that have lots of blood and oxygen. that’s why it is most often found in the lungs. this is called pulmonary tb. but tb can also spread to other parts of the body which is called extrapulmonary tb. treatment is often a success but it is a long process. it takes about 6 to 9 months to treat tb. tuberculosis is either latent or active. latent tb means that you have the tb bacteria in your body but your body’s defenses (immune system) are keeping it from turning into active tb. this means that you don't have any symptoms of tb right now and can't spread the disease to others. if you have latent tb it can become active tb. active tb means that the tb bacteria are growing and causing symptoms. if your lungs are infected with active tb it is easy to spread the disease to others. webmd medical reference from healthwise this information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. © 1995-2011 healthwise incorporated. healthwise healthwise for every health decision and the healthwise logo are trademarks of healthwise incorporated.
what is tuberculosis?