Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that are spread from person to person through the air. A person with active, infectious TB disease can propel the bacteria in the air by different means such as coughing, sneezing, singing, playing a wind instrument or to a lesser degree, talking.
TB can stay in the air for hours. If you breathe in the bacteria that cause TB, one of three things can happen: 1. Your immune system kills the bacteria you inhaled; 2. The bacteria remain alive but your immune system keeps them inactive ...