Latest news with #Mycobacteriumtuberculosis
India Today
3 days ago
- Health
- India Today
Ministry of Health: Know TB symptoms, get tested without delay
Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of India's major public health challenges, despite being a preventable and curable disease. The bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis primarily affects the lungs but can also impact other parts of the body. Early detection is key to successful treatment and preventing the spread of the collaboration with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, here's a breakdown of key symptoms to watch out for and why early medical intervention cough for more than two weeks A chronic cough that doesn't improve over two weeks is a classic sign of TB. It may start dry and later produce phlegm. In some cases, it can lead to severe chest and unexplained weight lossOne of the hallmark symptoms of TB is sudden weight loss without any lifestyle or dietary changes. The body's metabolism speeds up as it fights the infection, leading to noticeable weight in sputum (Hemoptysis)Coughing up blood or blood-tinged sputum is a serious symptom and should not be ignored. It suggests the infection is affecting the lungs more pain or discomfortPain in the chest while breathing or coughing may occur, often due to inflammation in the lung linings. This symptom requires immediate evaluation, especially when paired with coughing and breathlessness. advertisement Recent physical changesTB can sometimes bring about visible and internal physical changes, such as fatigue, skin pallor, or altered breathing patterns. These signs may seem subtle, but are important to feversA fever that spikes in the evening is a telltale symptom of TB. Unlike typical viral fevers, TB-related fevers are often low-grade but sweatsExcessive sweating during the night, even in cooler weather or air-conditioned environments, can be a symptom of TB. These episodes may soak clothing or bed and weaknessGeneral tiredness, even without exertion, is another red flag. Many TB patients report feeling weak or unable to carry out everyday or lumps in the bodyTB can also affect lymph nodes or other organs, causing painless swellings or lumps. These can appear in the neck, underarms, or groin and should be checked by a or chronic illnessThose already dealing with other health issues or a compromised immune system are at a higher risk of TB. People living with HIV/AIDS, diabetes, or malnutrition are particularly is curable with timely and complete treatment, usually involving a 6-month course of antibiotics. Early detection is crucial to breaking the chain of transmission. If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms, visit a health facility and get Watch
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
IIIT-Delhi, French researchers develop AI tool to outsmart drug-resistant superbugs
New Delhi: In a boost to scientific advancement aimed at curbing the global threat of drug-resistant infections, researchers from the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology-Delhi ( IIIT-Delhi ) and France's Inria Saclay have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based system that can recommend effective combinations of existing antibiotics to fight superbugs . Superbugs are germs like bacteria and fungi that cause hard-to-treat infections. Most superbugs are bacteria that have developed antibiotic resistance - the ability to survive antibiotic medications. The project, jointly led by Professor Angshul Majumdar and Dr Emilie Chouzenoux, is part of a broader India-France research collaboration between Deep Light (Delhi) and CentraleSupelec, a French engineering school, said an official statement of IIIT-D. The team includes engineer Stuti Jain and graduate researchers Kriti Kumar and Sayantika Chatterjee, it added. "This is an excellent example of how AI and international collaboration can come together to solve real-world medical challenges and our method makes it possible to use existing knowledge more effectively and opens the door to smarter, faster responses to antimicrobial resistance (AMR)," Prof. Majumdar told PTI. AMR occurs when bacteria adapt to antibiotics, rendering them ineffective. Prof. Majumdar said the misuse of antibiotics, particularly in countries like India, is a major contributor to the crisis. "We often take antibiotics even for viral infections, which don't require them. Over time, bacteria evolve and adapt. As a result, even simple infections like urinary tract infections or wounds can become resistant to treatment," he added. The AI system that the team developed goes far beyond traditional rule-based models. It analyzes real-world clinical decisions from leading Indian hospitals and combines this with bacterial genome data and the chemical structure of antibiotics to recommend optimal treatment options. The system was successfully tested on multi-drug resistant strains like Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Prof. Majumdar shared a harrowing case from AIIMS, Kalyani, where a young patient's artificial hip joint became infected and was unresponsive to even last-resort antibiotics. "It was a simple muscle infection, but it became untreatable. The patient from a poor family was left bedridden and without options," he said. "This is the reality of AMR - it can devastate lives even when the infection seems ordinary." The professor said the AI model offers combination therapy suggestions, mirroring how doctors treat advanced cases today. "Instead of recommending one antibiotic, our system can propose a cocktail of drugs based on the genome sequence of the bacteria," said Majumdar. "Doctors can ask for five or ten possible options for a specific strain and the AI suggests viable treatments," he added. While the model is currently focused on bacterial infections, it can be retrained to tackle viral infections or even lifestyle diseases like hypertension, where drug resistance is emerging. "Our core motivation was to address infectious diseases - a problem that plagues countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America far more than it does the West," said Majumdar. "There's less funding for this kind of work, but the impact is massive," he added. The team hopes that their model would eventually be embedded in hospital systems and public health frameworks, particularly in regions with limited access to advanced diagnostics. With AMR recognized as one of the most pressing global health threats of the 21st century, this AI-powered solution may offer doctors a timely, data-driven ally in the battle to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics.
NDTV
20-05-2025
- Health
- NDTV
Can Natural Remedies Help Cure Tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases globally. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), TB claimed 1.3 million lives in 2022 alone, with India accounting for over 28% of global cases. With antibiotic resistance and long treatment durations posing challenges, many people are exploring natural remedies as supportive care options. But can herbs, home remedies, or dietary practices actually cure TB? Experts emphasise that while natural therapies may help boost immunity and reduce symptoms, they should never replace conventional treatment. Here's a closer look at what works, and what doesn't, when it comes to natural healing. Natural remedies should only be complementary Natural remedies can aid in symptom management and help strengthen immunity, but they cannot cure TB. The WHO and India's Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) clearly state that Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) using antibiotics is the only proven cure. Relying solely on home remedies can delay recovery and increase risk of drug resistance. 1. Garlic has antibacterial properties, but isn't a cure Garlic contains allicin, which exhibits antimicrobial action. While it may support the immune system, no clinical studies confirm garlic alone can treat tuberculosis. It can be a supportive food when added to the diet under medical supervision. 2. Turmeric helps with inflammation and lung health Curcumin in turmeric has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which may relieve tuberculosis-related inflammation. A warm glass of turmeric milk may ease symptoms, but again, it cannot replace prescribed antibiotics. 3. Amla (Indian gooseberry) may help build immunity Rich in Vitamin C, amla supports immune health and aids in tissue repair. It's a valuable addition to tuberculosis patients' diets but not a standalone treatment. 4. Tulsi (holy basil) can support respiratory health Tulsi leaves have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities. Drinking tulsi tea may help soothe the throat and reduce cough, offering mild symptomatic relief, not cure. 5. Black pepper and honey for cough relief A mix of honey and pepper may provide relief from persistent coughing in tuberculosis patients. However, honey should be used with caution in diabetic patients. 6. A protein-rich diet is essential for recovery Malnutrition weakens immunity. tuberculosis patients must consume protein-rich foods like eggs, pulses, paneer, and nuts to rebuild tissue and fight infection. WHO stresses that proper nutrition speeds recovery. 7. Adequate rest and hydration matter Home remedies are incomplete without basic care: rest, fluids, and stress management. These elements are critical for the body to absorb medications and rebuild strength. Natural remedies can support tuberculosis recovery by strengthening immunity and easing symptoms, but they are not a cure. Antibiotic treatment under a government-monitored DOTS programme remains the only medically approved path to recovery. Trusting home cures alone may lead to complications or drug resistance. Always consult a doctor before combining natural remedies with prescribed treatment. Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
Borneo Post
17-05-2025
- Health
- Borneo Post
Tuberculosis - a reminder to our vision
Dr Murugan S. Rajan, Resident Consultant General Medicine and Physician of KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital What is Tuberculosis (TB) Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and it most often affects the lungs, but can impacts other parts of the body also. TB is curable but if left untreated can result in deaths – making it the world's top infectious killer. A Vision for a TB-Free World The vision of the Malaysian Tuberculosis (TB) Control Programme is for Malaysia to be a TB-free country by the year 2035 (<1/1,000,000 population). To achieve this, it is vital to ensure timely universal access to quality-assured diagnosis and treatment for all forms of TB. The challenges we face in our TB control programme are from delays in the diagnosis of TB especially of smear negative PTB, extra pulmonary TB (EPTB) and TB in children to treatment default and non-adherence. While healthcare agencies including public and private sectors are responsible for the early diagnosis and effective treatment, it cannot be overemphasized that the community has a definite role to help avoid defaulting the treatment and by strict adherence to the treatment protocols set by the experts in the field. The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed the End TB Strategy to improve TB management with targets of a 90% decrease in TB incidence and 95% decrease in TB mortality by 2035. TB is endemic in Malaysia and continues to be a major public health concern. The TB incidence for Malaysia in 2015 was 79.0/100,000 population. In 2020, the TB incidence in Malaysia was reduced to 72.4/100,000 population but it was still below the End TB Strategy target. There were 1,696 TB deaths in 2015 (TB mortality rate of 5.5/100,000 population) and the figure increased to 2,320 deaths in 2020 (7.1/100,000 population). By 2035, Malaysia aims to reduce TB death to fewer than 85 deaths per year. Symptoms Adults with productive cough, coughing out blood (hemoptysis), unexplained weight loss, fever especially in evenings, night sweats and fatigue should be screened for pulmonary TB (PTB). However, typical symptoms may be absent in the immunocompromised or elderly patients. TB in children is mostly with non-specific signs and symptoms. Young children with anorexia, failure to thrive, poor feeding and decreased activities or playfulness should be suspected for the disease. Diagnosis Tuberculin skin test is performed via the Mantoux technique, which consists of intradermal injection of purified-protein derivative on the inner aspect of the forearm. This stimulates a delayed T-lymphocyte mediated hypersensitivity response in patients with prior mycobacterial exposure. The test must be read between 48 – 72 hours later. Laboratory Investigations – All patients suspected of having PTB should submit at least two sputum specimens for microscopic examination. When possible, at least one early morning specimen should be obtained as sputum collected at this time has the highest yield. For patients who are unable to expectorate sputum spontaneously, sputum induction may be done. Sputum should be sent for mycobacterial culture at the initiation of TB treatment to confirm the presence of mycobacterium tuberculosis and to exclude drug-resistant TB. Chest Radiography should be used as the primary imaging modality to aid the diagnosis and management of PTB. In a centre where radiography facilities are not available, diagnosis of PTB can be made based on clinical findings and positive sputum smear results. All patients should be routinely screened for HIV and diabetes mellitus. TB Treatment The aims of Tuberculosis (TB) treatment are to reduce morbidity, reduce mortality, prevent relapse, decrease transmission and prevent emergence of drug-resistant TB. Only daily anti-tuberculosis regimen should be used throughout the treatment of PTB Fixed dose combination tablets are available for easy administration Active TB must be ruled out before starting latent TB infection treatment. Shorter Latent TB Infection treatment regimens are preferred in suitable individuals. The standard treatment regimens for drug susceptible TB are: Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) – 2 months of 4 types of TB medicines followed by 4 month of 2 types of TB medicines Tuberculosis Meningitis – 2 months of 4 types of TB medicines followed by 10 months of 2 types of TB medicines (HR) Bone & Joint Tuberculosis – 2 month of 4 types of TB medicines followed by 4-7 months of 2 types of TB medicines Other forms of extrapulmonary TB is the same as PTB TB treatment should be observed directly (DOT). Alternately, video observed treatment (VOT) may be used. Self-administered treatment should be reserved for patients who are unable to undergo Direct Observed Treatment (DOT) or Video Observed Treatment (VOT). Recurrent TB Patients exposed to anti-TB drugs are at risk of drug resistance. Hence, all patients who are suspected to have recurrent TB should be investigated using rapid molecular tests e.g Xpert Ultra and mycobacterial culture. If the rapid molecular test results are negative, the patients should be treated with a standard regimen for drug susceptible TB pending drug culture and susceptibility results. Special Situations Patients having chronic kidney disease and patients on hemodialysis – should be treated with standard anti-TB regimen and have dosage adjusted Patients with liver cirrhosis – should be managed at an experienced specialist center Pregnant & lactating women – should receive the same treatment regimen for TB as for non-pregnant women Women on rifampicin based anti-TB treatment – should use alternative contraception methods other than oral contraceptive pills TB in children – the TB treatment regimen in children for both Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) and Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis (EPTB) are the same as in adults. Anti-TB dose in children should be calculated in mg/kg and the total dose must not exceed the maximum dose Anti-TB drug adverse reaction & drug interaction Adverse drug reactions should be recognized early and managed well to reduce treatment related morbidity and mortality. Anti-TB drug adverse drug reaction may affect any organ/system and they vary in severity. The following are adverse reaction on Anti-TB drugs: Isoniazid – skin rash, jaundice, hepatitis, anorexia, nausea, abdominal pain, burning/numbness/tingling sensation in hands or feet Rifampin – skin rash, jaundice, hepatitis, anorexia, nausea, abdominal pain, orange/red urine, flu syndrome (fever, chills, malaise, headache, bone pain) Ethambutol – visual impairment Pyrazinamide – skin rash, jaundice, hepatitis, anorexia, nausea, abdominal pain, joint pain Drug induced liver injury is one of the commonest serious Adverse Drug Reactions due to first-line anti-TB drugs. Patients with suspected severe Adverse Drug Reactions, including Drug Induced Liver Injury should have their TB treatment stopped immediately or switched to an alternative anti-TB regimen. All patients with Adverse Drug Reactions should be treated compassionately, offered symptomatic treatment and given reassurance of getting good medical care. They should be referred to specialists for drug challenge/dechallenge or drug desensitization when indicated. Certain TB drugs may interact with broad range of commonly used medications and may need to have their dose adjusted. The management of TB should be guided by an evidence-based approach, in order to provide quality care to the TB patients. Dr. Murugan S. Rajan, Resident Consultant General Medicine and Physician of KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital advised patients who completed TB treatment to watch out for recurrence of TB symptoms and if present to contact the nearest healthcare providers. We shall remember that achieving our goal of controlling this disease by 2035 is not an impossible task provided all of us, healthcare providers and community together put our efforts sincerely. 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Indianapolis Star
08-05-2025
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
John Green connects deadly disease to Stetson hats, svelte figures and weighted vests
Who knew tuberculosis had a connection to the development of the cowboy hat or the U.S. military or women's dress sizes? John Green; that's who. And the author was on 'The Daily Show' on May 7 spreading the knowledge in his campaign to end the world's most deadly infectious disease. The curable disease, caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, resulted in 1.25 million deaths in 2023, according to the Word Health Organization. 'I'm super opposed to tuberculosis,' he told host Desi Lydic. 'I'm a little confused why everyone else isn't. It feels like it should be kind of a universally-held opinion.' The young adult genre ('The Fault in Our Stars,' 'Turtles All the Way Down') and social media (Vlogbrothers YouTube channel) star was promoting his New York Times bestseller 'Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection,' published in March. Green shared how tuberculosis tied into the development of the modern-day American cowboy hat. The maker of the Stetson had moved from New Jersey to the West to recover from tuberculosis, he said. The host challenged him to connect the disease to other trends and events. Was there a connection to Navy fighter jets falling into the water, she asked, referencing the second time in just over a week that a U.S. Navy fighter jet from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier was lost in the Red Sea. President Harry S. Truman had requested the federal government budget $200,000 to fund the development of Isoniazid, one of the most critical tuberculosis drugs, Green responded. 'If it weren't for Harry Truman sending federal money, federal government taxpayer money, to fund the treatment of tuberculosis, we wouldn't have that amazing drug,' he said. How about the popularity of weighted vests? 'Not even a challenge,' he answered. 'It's trying to shrink your body. It's trying to make you smaller. And that is a result, partly of this tubercular beauty standard. When we romanticized tuberculosis, in the 18th and 19th centuries, we began to associate beauty with very frail, small bodies. So attempts to shrink the female body are at least in part a response to this tuberculosis beauty standard that goes back to the 19th century.' John Green: Best-selling author writes a love letter to the Indianapolis 500 Green, an Indianapolis resident, talked about a 2019 trip to Sierra Leone, where he got to know a youth who was trying to recover from drug-resistant tuberculosis and learned how widespread the disease was. Over the next five years, he 'fell in hate' with the disease, and the book came about from wanting to tell 'his ultimate story of survival, and also wanting to tell the story of the fact that this disease is not history; it's present,' the writer told Lydic. 'It's the deadliest infectious disease in the world, and unfortunately, as a direct result of decisions made by our government, that number is going to go up instead of going down,' Green said. 'It's been going down for the last 20 years, which is something we can be really proud of. "The U.S. has long been the most generous funder of TB response, but that's changing with the dismantling of USAID; and as a direct result, I think the estimates are that within two years, we might see two million people dying instead of over a million.' That doesn't have to be, he said. 'We can achieve cure rates of over 95%. We do that in the United States, and we should be doing it globally. And the fact that we aren't really is kind of a mark of shame on humanity.' 'Turtles All the Way Down': John Green's novel is now a movie, and the ebook is on sale. How to get it 'We know how to live in a world without TB. You search for cases, you treat every case you find, and you offer preventative therapy to folks who are near those cases. And that's how we eliminated TB in the U.S.; or nearly eliminated it. That's how we've nearly eliminated TB in many countries around the world. But that takes funding. And right now, if you think of the history of tuberculosis as a long staircase where we learn more and learn better tools and have better tools to fight the disease, right now we have the tools; we just don't have the political will. So right now, unfortunately, we've fallen down the staircase.' Green sounded hopeful, though. 'But it's easy to feel like this is the end of history. I feel that way all the time, to be honest with you. But it's not the end of history. This is the middle of the story, not the end of the story, and it falls to us to write a better end. And I really believe we can do that together. I really believe that I will live to see a world without tuberculosis.'
