They also may get into the bloodstream spreading to the rest of the body. Fluid or air may collect between the lungs and the lining of the lungs, while tubercles continue to develop in the lung, progressively destroying lung tissue. In this stage a person may begin to cough up blood or phlegm. Also, at this point of time the person becomes contagious and may infect others ( Ott, 1996 ). This is the point of time where an individual can hopefully recognize that they are ill and seek the proper medical attention. This is a very critical time to have the TB treated. If left untreated while in the secondary stage, a person's chance of survival are very minimal.
Diagnosis of TB requires two separate methods. Tuberculin skin testing is a method of screening for exposure to TB infection. A person who was infected with TB will have developed a sensitivity to the TB bacteria even if they did not develop the disease (Lifson, 1999). Meaning even a person who has bacteria stored, this test could work for them. A purified protein is injected into the skin. The skin area is inspected 48 to 72 hours later for a bump. A positive test implies that TB infection has occurred. The problem with this test, is it is not 100 percent accurate and it does not always indicate the presence of the disease ( IJTL, 1999). Another method to diagnose the disease is established by the identification of the bacteria in matter coughed up by the lungs or other body fluids and tissues. This may be tested on the spot for TB. In the past, detecting the presence of the TB strain was in many cases a time consuming process that would often delay therapy. Today, the use of genetic engineering techniques greatly reduces the time required for diagnosis (IJTL, 1999). Doctors can just test the small sample of particles they have from the person.
Once a person finds out they are TB positive they must go through an extensive treatment.
