Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that affects the lungs of an afflicted individual. It is transmitted through the air. For example, when a person coughs and air droplets are inhaled by a healthy individual, this is called droplet transmission. This allows pathogens to enter the upper and lower respiratory tract of a healthy individual, ultimately causing infection, whether bacterial, viral, or fungal.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the pathogen responsible for tuberculosis. The bacteria could travel through the bloodstream and infect other organs and tissues, ultimately causing sepsis and multiple organ failure, if the infection is not treated early.
At times, the bacteria can spread to the meninges, which are sheaths that envelop the spinal cord and the brain. A life-threatening condition called meningeal meningitis could develop if the meninges are infected.