There are various kinds of infections associated with mycobacterium and the common ones cause tuberculosis and leprosy in humans. Mycobacteria are naturally present in water and food sources. There are various major groups of mycobacteria which are divided for the purpose of treatment and diagnosis. The major groups include the M.tuberculosis complex causing tuberculosis, M. leprae causing leprosy and the nontuberculous mycobacteria which can cause the pulmonary disease, lymphadenitis and skin disease.
Nontuberculous Mycobacteria
The lung infection develops when an individual inhales the organism from the environment which is naturally found in water and soil. There are around 150 different species of nontuberculous mycobacteria most of which don’t cause any harm except for those with weakened immune system. Most of the individuals exposed to the microbe can clear it naturally from their lung without causing infection. In some cases, it can cause inflammation of the respiratory system infecting the airways and the lung tissue. The common respiratory symptoms include the cough that won’t go away, shortness of breath and coughing up blood. Additional symptoms can include weight loss, low-grade fever, fatigue and night sweats. The effective treatment of this condition includes a combination of two or three medications based on the species involved. The treatment can continue for as long as one year till the respiratory culture shows negative.
Hansen’s disease (Leprosy)
This is caused by the bacteria called mycobacterium leprae which can affect the skin, eyes, nerves and the lining of the nose. The affected area can lose the ability to sense touch and pain. The skin can change color which can become reddish from inflammation and lighter or darker, dry or flaky. This is a slowly developing condition which can take as long as 20 years for the signs of the disease to occur. If the condition is not treated promptly, it can cause paralysis of the hands and the feet and the advanced cases can have the reabsorption of the affected digits by the body which results in the apparent loss of the digits. Leprosy is believed to be transmitted by breathing in the droplets containing the bacteria from an infected person’s cough or sneezes. This disease is treated with a combination of 2 or 3 antibiotics which can usually last between one to two years.
Tuberculosis
This is a severe airborne disease caused by the mycobacterium tuberculosis. This disease commonly affects the lungs and other organs of the body. M. tuberculosis is considered to be endemic worldwide causing disability and death. In several of the cases, the initial infection may go unnoticed. Tuberculosis can persist for an individual’s lifetime continuing to become active particularly when the body’s immune system becomes weakened. The infection occurs with the passage of the bacterium through the lungs. The infection is possible with the invasion of the mucous membranes or with the breaks in the skin. The transmission is also possible with the exposure to airborne microbe from the sputum of the affected individual. Tuberculosis is usually treated with medications for a period of six months to two years depending on the drug resistance.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/leprosy/treatment/index.html
https://ehs.research.uiowa.edu/mycobacterium-tuberculosis
https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/tuberculosis-tb