Pathogenic mechanisms involved in tuberculosis can be primarily attributed to which of the following?
High-Yield Explanation
Most cases of tuberculosis are caused when patients inhale droplet nuclei containing infectious organisms. While the bacilli are deposited on the alveolar spaces, they do not clog up the alveoli but are engulfed by macrophages. Tissue injury is not a result of toxin secretion but by cell-mediated hypersensitivity, that is, "immunologic injury. Also Know: M tuberculosis multiplies in alveolar macrophages. MDR-TB are resistant to isoniazid and rifampin. Ref: Ray C.G., Ryan K.J. (2010). Chapter 27. Mycobacteria. In C.G. Ray, K.J. Ryan (Eds), Sherris Medical Microbiology, 5.