Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is a slow-growing bacteria that thrives in areas of the body rich in blood and oxygen, such as the lungs. Tuberculosis develops when the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis is inhaled into the lungs. The infection usually stays in the lungs, but the bacteria can travel through the bloodstream to other parts of the body. Symptoms of active TB in the lungs begin gradually and develop over a period of weeks or months. You might have one or two mild symptoms without even knowing you have the disease. Some of the symptoms are a cough with thick, cloudy, and sometimes bloody mucus coming from the lungs for more than 2 weeks. Fever, chills and night sweats. Fatigue and weakness. Loss of appetite and weight loss. Shortness of breath and chest pain. Most people find out if they have tuberculosis through a reaction to a tuberculin skin test. It takes 48 hours after the test for a reaction to develop, namely a red bump where the needle entered. Doctors can diagnose tuberculosis from the results of a chest X-ray....