Tuberculosis: a Comprehensive Clinical Reference

Tuberculosis is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis typically attacks the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body. The classic symptoms are a chronic cough with blood-tinged sputum, fever, night sweats, and weight loss. Tuberculosis -- A Comprehensive Clinical Reference serves as a useful reference for individuals working in biomedical laboratories, and for clinical professionals. It provides the latest research you need to know about tuberculosis. There are totally 10 chapters in this book. Chapter 1 highlights health systems weaknesses that are hampering diseases control efforts and proposes possible health system strengthening interventions that can easily be implemented. Strengthened health systems are essential for the control of tuberculosis. Chapter 2 proposes an original model for preparing and dispensing the drugs and monitoring of patients with tuberculosis under a direct observed treatment (DOT) program. It also includes the results and analysis of the model after the implantation. Chapter 3 shows the associated cost to an original program of Direct observed treatment (DOT) using the perspective of the Spanish Health Care System and comparing for each case of DOT, the cost of a Self-administered Treatment (SAT) based on a theoretical model. Chapter 4 reviews the present scenario of Multi-Drug Resistance Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and the advantages of newer molecular approaches for the laboratory diagnosis of MDR-RB, with special reference to Rifampicin resistance as a surrogate marker for it. Chapter 5 mainly focuses on the algorithmic approach in diagnosis of tuberculosis-related uveitis. It also gives key points in the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and treatment of tuberculosis-related uveitis. Pulmonary tuberculosis can lead to various forms of complications. It can be categorized as parenchymal, airway, vascular, pleural lesions and general complications. Chapter 6 describes the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnostic criteria and management of complications of pulmonary tuberculosis. Chapter 7 discusses Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in human beings. Tuberculosis in humans is caused mainly by two of the seven closely related bacteria within Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), namely Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and Mycobacterium africanum (MAF). Chapter 8 aims on difficulties of anti-TB chemotherapy, especially for Urogenital Tuberculosis, and discusses the way to minimise the side effects. Chapter 9 aims on improving in-time diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis and particularly urogenital tuberculosis by making clear its features. Chapter 10 deals with the comparative genomics, bioinformatic analyses and genome-wide screening approaches for the better understanding of these immunologically important proteins, and summarizes that PEPPE domain from mycobacteria belongs to the family of serine hydrolase proteins and the phylogenetic analysis has shown that Mycobacterium tuberculosis is of recent decent