Mycobacterium tuberculosis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mycobacterium tuberculosis |
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| M. tuberculosis bacterial colonies | |
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Actinomycetales
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Corynebacterineae
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| Mycobacterium tuberculosis Zopf 1883
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a tiny germ, a type of bacterium, that causes a serious illness called tuberculosis, often called TB. This germ is so small you can only see it with a powerful microscope! It was first found on March 24, 1882, by a scientist named Robert Koch. Because of his discovery, this germ is sometimes called Koch's bacillus or Koch's germ.
TB spreads through the air. If someone with TB coughs or sneezes, tiny droplets carrying the germ can float in the air. Other people can then breathe in these germs and get sick.
Contents
What is Mycobacterium tuberculosis?
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a special kind of bacteria. It has a waxy outer layer that makes it tough and hard to kill. This germ mainly attacks the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, like the kidneys, spine, or brain.
Discovery of the Germ
The discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was a huge step in understanding and fighting TB. Before Robert Koch found this germ, people didn't know what caused tuberculosis. They knew it was a terrible disease that made many people sick, but they didn't know how to stop it. Koch's work helped doctors understand how the disease spread and how to look for it.
How TB Spreads
Tuberculosis is an infectious illness. This means it can pass from one person to another. When a person with active TB in their lungs coughs, sneezes, or even talks, they release tiny germ-filled droplets into the air. If you breathe in these droplets, the germs can enter your lungs and start to grow.
It's important to know that not everyone who breathes in the germs gets sick right away. Sometimes, the germs stay "asleep" in the body for a long time. This is called latent TB. If the germs wake up, then the person develops active TB and can spread it to others.
Fighting the Germ
For a long time, tuberculosis was a very deadly disease. It used to make many people very sick, and sadly, it caused a lot of deaths. But then, scientists discovered special medicines called antibiotics. These medicines were amazing because they could kill the Mycobacterium tuberculosis germ.
When antibiotics became available, they helped to control TB. Many people who got sick could be cured, and the number of new cases went down a lot. It seemed like TB might almost disappear.
A Growing Challenge
Even though antibiotics helped a lot, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is still a big problem today. This is because some types of the germ have become "super strong." These strong germs are called resistant strains. They have learned to fight off the regular antibiotics that used to kill them.
When germs become resistant, it means the usual medicines don't work anymore. This makes TB much harder to treat. Doctors have to use stronger, more expensive medicines, and treatment takes much longer. Sometimes, these resistant forms of TB are very difficult to cure at all. This is why scientists are always working to find new ways to fight these tough germs.
Images for kids
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M. tuberculosis (stained red) in tissue (blue)
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Cording M. tuberculosis (H37Rv strain) culture on the luminescent microscopy
See also
In Spanish: Bacilo de Koch para niños
