Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These are slow-growing bacteria that thrive in areas of the body rich in blood and oxygen, such as the lungs. Tuberculosis develops when Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria are 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 tuberculosis in the lungs begin gradually and develop over a period of weeks or months. You may have one or two mild symptoms and not even know you have the disease. Some of the symptoms are coughing with thick, cloudy, and sometimes bloody mucus from the lungs for more than 2 weeks. Fever, chills and night sweats. Tiredness and weakness. Loss of appetite and weight loss. Shortness of breath and chest pain. A tuberculin skin test reaction is how most people find out if they have tuberculosis. It takes 48 hours after the test for a reaction to develop, which is a red bump where the needle entered. Doctors can diagnose tuberculosis based on the results of a chest x-ray....