What does inactive tuberculosis mean?

Latent TB , also called inactive TB or TB infection, isn’t contagious. Latent TB can turn into active TB , so treatment is important. Active TB . Also called TB disease, this condition makes you sick and, in most cases, can spread to others. It can occur weeks or years after infection with the TB bacteria.

How long can you have inactive TB?

Many people who have latent TB infection never develop TB disease. In these people, the TB bacteria remain inactive for a lifetime without causing disease. But in other people, especially people who have a weak immune system, the bacteria become active, multiply, and cause TB disease.

How is inactive TB treated?

As of 2018, there are four CDC-recommended treatment regimens for latent TB infection that use isoniazid (INH), rifapentine (RPT), and/or rifampin (RIF). All the regimens are effective. Healthcare providers should prescribe the more convenient shorter regimens, when possible.

Does inactive TB go away?

Treatment is the only way to remove the TB bacteria from your body. Latent TB treatment is often shorter than treatment for active TB, and it involves less medication. These are all good reasons to treat the latent TB bacteria while you are healthy and before they have a chance to wake up.

Can inactive TB spread?

Persons with latent TB infection are not infectious and cannot spread TB infection to others. Overall, without treatment, about 5 to 10% of infected persons will develop TB disease at some time in their lives.

Is someone with inactive TB contagious?

Is latent TB curable?

It can be completely cured with the right treatment whch typically consists of medication in a pill form containing a mix of antibiotics. Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that most commonly affects the lungs. Some people can have the tuberculosis bacteria in their body and never develop symptoms.

What do you need to know about latent TB?

A person with latent TB infection. Usually has a skin test or blood test result indicating TB infection. Has a normal chest x-ray and a negative sputum test. Has TB bacteria in his/her body that are alive, but inactive.

When to consider LTBI as a treatment for TB?

Persons with no known risk factors for TB may be considered for treatment of LTBI if they have either a positive IGRA result or if their reaction to the TST is 15 mm or larger. However, targeted TB testing programs should only be conducted among high-risk groups.

What are the medications used to treat latent TB?

The medications used to treat latent TB infection include the following: 1 Isoniazid (INH) 2 Rifapentine (RPT) 3 Rifampin (RIF)

When to use isoniazid rifapentine for latent TB?

Treatment must be modified if the patient is a contact of an individual with drug-resistant TB disease. Consultation with a TB expert is advised if the known source of TB infection has drug-resistant TB. CDC has updated the recommendations for use of once-weekly isoniazid-rifapentine for 12 weeks (3HP) for treatment of latent TB infection.