TB CO-INFECTION HIV DISEASE

TB Co-infection HIV Disease and the Use of DOT as a Health Promotion Strategy

TB Co-infection HIV Disease and the Use of DOT as a Health Promotion Strategy

Introduction

This essay is about Tuberculosis in co-infected HIV patients, with a critical discussion of relevant microbiological, path physiological, epidemiological, immunological and pharmacological issues related to TB and HIV. The health promotion and educational strategy is to ensure the support and safety of HIV individuals within the community.

Everyday millions of people are infected with Tuberculosis. An article in the Metro Newspaper (May 15, 2012) stated that diagnosed with being love struck, died of TB. Fourteen year old has been treated in four hospitals as she complained of headache weight loss, breathing difficulties and vomiting. According to Goutan et al (2012), in the past years there has been an increase in cases of Tuberculosis infections in the indigenous elderly white UK population (Metro Newspaper, 2012, pp. 2-3).

Discussion

Tuberculosis was described for the first time by a German scientist Dr. Robert Koch in Berlin on 24th March 1882, when he described a specific micro-organism that caused Tuberculosis (mycobacterium tuberculosis.) Mycobacterium is described in the international nomenclature. According to Brooks et al (2007), there are variety of mycobacterium which cause Tuberculosis for example, mycobacterium tuberculosis, mycobacterium bovis , mycobacterium africanum, and the non-tuberculosis mycobacterium. for example, m.leprae which cause Hanseniases (lepra) or m.avium complex (MAC) which cause TB in birds, wild and domestic animals and immune-compromised people (HIV Disease). These are aerobic organisms, which require oxygen to produce and store their energy to be used when required. According to Burton & Angelkirk (2002), mycobacterium are slender, rod-shaped (bacilli) bacteria which are slower growing, which can be identified via a microscope with a gram stain - Gran positive with purple dye, crystal violet (Burton & Engelkirk, 2002, pp. 35-40).

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis has three possible ways of transmission; inhalation which is the most common mode however, ingestion and inoculation are much rarer modes. Moreover, the mycobacterium can be found in different parts of the body, for example the kidneys which cause renal TB, the brain which causes meningitis TB and other areas like bones, gastro intestinal tract and lungs. It is most commonly found in the lungs because this area of the body is rich in oxygen, which is required by the bacteria for the production of energy, to survive and reproduce (Middelkoop, et al., 2011, pp. 1714-1715).

Patients usually present with clinical conditions like a slight cough, hemoptysis (coughing up blood), unwell, night sweats, fever, poor apatite, loss of weight, lethargic and cachexia. TB can be fatal if untreated. Nowadays TB has increased especially within the HIV community, low immunologic system gives the opportunity for the mycobacterium tuberculosis to grow in healthy tissues, then the immunologic system will not offer any or small resistant to the reproduction of this organism (Roitt, et al., 2002, pp. 120-125).

The investigations used to diagnose TB are Sputum microscopy (coloration) (AFB), culture and sensitivity, chest x-ray and tuberculin skin test ...