How is TB transmitted?

How is TB transmitted?

• A. Through contaminated water
• B. Through aerosolized droplets from person to person
• C. By touching contaminated surfaces
• D. Through blood transfusion

Answer: (B)

TB spreads when a person with active pulmonary tuberculosis coughs, talks, or breathes, releasing tiny aerosolized droplet nuclei into the air. These particles are small enough to stay suspended and be inhaled by others, so transmission occurs mainly in enclosed spaces or with prolonged exposure. Once inhaled, the bacteria can establish infection in the lungs and either stay latent or progress to active disease. The other routes don’t fit TB transmission: contaminated water is a common route for diseases like cholera or typhoid; touching surfaces doesn’t reliably transfer Mycobacterium tuberculosis; and transmission by blood transfusion is not how TB typically spreads.

TB spreads when a person with active pulmonary tuberculosis coughs, talks, or breathes, releasing tiny aerosolized droplet nuclei into the air. These particles are small enough to stay suspended and be inhaled by others, so transmission occurs mainly in enclosed spaces or with prolonged exposure. Once inhaled, the bacteria can establish infection in the lungs and either stay latent or progress to active disease.

The other routes don’t fit TB transmission: contaminated water is a common route for diseases like cholera or typhoid; touching surfaces doesn’t reliably transfer Mycobacterium tuberculosis; and transmission by blood transfusion is not how TB typically spreads.