Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) disease is caused by organisms of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Most infections caused by M tuberculosis complex in children and adolescents are asymptomatic. When pulmonary TB occurs, clinical manifestations most often appear 1 month to 2 years after infection and include fever, weight loss or poor weight gain, cough, night sweats, and chills. Chest radiographic findings rarely are specific for TB and include lymphadenopathy of the hilar, subcarinal, paratracheal, or mediastinal nodes; atelectasis or infiltrate of a segment or lobe; pleural effusion that can conceal small interstitial lesions; interstitial cavities; or miliary-pattern infiltrates. In...