Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick.
Some people develop TB disease soon after becoming infected (within weeks) before their immune system can fight the TB germs. Other people have latent TB infection and may get sick years later, when their immune system becomes weak for another reason. Treating latent TB infection is effective in preventing TB disease.
Tuberculosis Fact Sheet
Learn more about symptoms, transmission, testing, and treatment.
Symptoms
General symptoms may include feeling weak or sick, weight loss, fever, and/or night sweats. Symptoms of TB of the lungs may include cough, chest pain, and/or coughing up blood. TB can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, kidneys, or spine. Other symptoms depend on the part of the body that is affected. TB disease in the lungs may cause symptoms such as:
- Cough that lasts three weeks or longer
- Pain in the chest
- Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs)
Other symptoms of TB disease are weakness or fatigue, weight loss, no appetite, chills, fever, and sweating at night. People who have latent TB infection do not feel sick, do not have any symptoms, and cannot spread TB to others.