Good morning class, I would like to begin my presentation on the treatment of Tuberculosis with a quote from the Center for Disease Control, “If not treated properly, Tuberculosis can be fatal” (CDC). Tuberculosis is an infectious bacterial disease that is spread through the air, and can attack all parts of the body. About 8 million new cases of Tuberculosis are reported in the world every year, and approximately 22,000 cases are annually reported in the United States alone. These numbers make Tuberculosis one of the most common and one of the deadliest diseases in the world and it is important to know prevention and treatment options for combatting this disease. It is also a leading cause in death for people who are infected with HIV due to the victim already has a weakened immune system. Through extensive research between both internet and paperback sources, I have narrowed down three of the highest quality treatment options to fight Tuberculosis. It is immediately obvious that an understanding of Tuberculosis is a necessity to the victims of the disease, and can be easily treated with the proper use of drug combination therapy medicines, including Rifampin, Pyrazinamide, and Ethambutol.

To begin, Tuberculosis is caused by the bacteria cell Neisseria Meningitidis, which are naturally occurring bacteria in the human body (Slide 1). Tuberculosis makes its way into the body through respiration and targets these bacteria cells for infection. If that infected bacteria is not
killed immediately upon infection, the bacteria will become messenger cells that will spread the disease to all of the cells around it. The group of infected cells will then go on to plague all the other cells in that particular organ of your body. In rare cases, the disease could spread even further from one organ, to the entire human body. However, most Tuberculosis infected cells only have the carrying capacity to infect one particular part of your body, such as an arm, leg, hip, etc., and cannot move further from there. This is why many victims of Tuberculosis only have one Tubercular organ that is infected with the disease. Tuberculosis is a very expensive medicine to treat due to the vast combinations of drugs needed to eliminate the disease form your body. Developing countries and areas of poverty have the highest population of Tuberculosis victims, but nearly all of them do not have the money to afford the treatments. “In India they showed me patients who had tuberculosis and sold house and home, in order to get the cure from the West” (Tuberculosis Quotes).

With all of the dangers of Tuberculosis in mind, it is obvious that treatment is imperative immediately upon the victim discovering the disease is present in their body. “The most commonly used drug to treat Tuberculosis is Rifampin” (Tuberculosis: Pathogenesis, Protection, and Control). Rifampin eliminates bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) (Slide 2). It is generally used with other drugs to treat tuberculosis or to eliminate the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. It is also used to prevent spreading Tuberculosis and the bacteria to other people. Rifampin usually comes in either a tablet or capsule to be taken orally. Rifampin is supposed to be taken every day in order to continually deliver an adequate dosage of the medicine in order to completely kill the bacteria. If Rifampin is taken either too much or too little, the medicine will not help your body kill the bacteria at a safe rate. Rifampin is prescribed to be taken with a combination of many other drugs to kill Tuberculosis infected cells in your body. The majority of the side effects associated with taking Rifampin are mild, but like any other medicine, incorrect use of the medicine for long periods of time can create very harmful side effects. Rifampin is an expensive medicine to treat Tuberculosis, but it is necessary to take if the disease is present in any part of your body in order to stop the spread of the disease to other cells of the body, and to completely eradicate the disease from your body.

Like Rifampin, Pyrazinamade is another major drug often used in fighting the spread of Tuberculosis is. “Pyrazinamade is used to stop the growth of the bacteria that causes Tuberculosis” (UMDNJ). It does this by basically barricading the infected cell of receiving any outside nutrients used in order for proper cell growth (Slide 3). Pyrazinamade is very effective of killing Tuberculosis infected cells by doing this, and when combined with other proper drugs, can completely kill Tuberculosis from your body. Pyrazinamade can be taken in small doses once every day, or can be taken in large doses twice a week. The drug is meant to be taken by mouth, just like Rifampin. Pyrazinamade comes as a tablet and is meant to be taken with food in order for proper absorption into the body. Pyrazinamade has many severe side effects, but many of these are very rare. Like any other drug, Pyrazinamade is very dangerous when used incorrectly, and it is advised to call a doctor if the drug is ever taken incorrectly. Many patients find Pyrazinamade to be the most effective drug to cure Tuberculosis, therefore Pyrazinamade is one of the most expensive drugs in treating the spread and growth of Tuberculosis infected cells throughout your body.

Last but not least, Ethambutol helps your immune system fight against Tuberculosis (Slide 4). Ehtambutol is used to kill the bacteria cells that act as messengers for spreading Tuberculosis to the other healthy cells in the body. “Ethambutol helps reduce the chance that the bacteria will spread to organs that are used for respiration, which will help the disease spread from the infected person’s body, to the air and to people around the world” (Tuberculosis: Pathogenesis, Protection, and Control). This drug is generally safe when taken properly, and has very a small list of mild side effects. Like any other prescription drug, Ethambutol can become very dangerous when taken incorrectly. It is important to contact a medical professional whenever the drug is taken improperly. One of the situations that Ethambutol can be considered a dangerous drug is when a victim forgets to take a dose of the medicine, and then decide to take two doses the next day to make up for the missed dose that they forgot to take. When combined with other Tuberculosis treatments, Ethambutol is considered to be a safe and easy way to eradicate your body from Tuberculosis.

With the information presented, it is easy to see that Tuberculosis is a very fatal disease. However, Tuberculosis can be easily treated through drug combination therapy. Tuberculosis is a very complex bacterial infection, so large amounts of drugs are required to shut down independent functions of the disease (Slide 5). Rifampin, Pyrazinamade, and Ethambutol are among the most popular treatment options for victims of Tuberculosis, and are very effective of destroying the disease when the drugs are taken properly. With proper treatment, maybe TB will be finally cured, and will never be a problem to for the world anymore. Thank you for listening and have a great day.