Re: Is Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection life long?
I hope the authors will forgive me if I am wrong. My memory (I am aged 87) tells me that in my youth, if one developed a primary complex in the lung, it could either proceed to a spreading infection, or it could "heal" - a healed primary complex with calcification which remained radiologically demonstrable all life long.
You developed a tuberculin reactivity which was demonstrable by Mantoux test or Heaf test.
The reactivity was supposedly long lasting though temporarily depressed by viral infections eg, Measles, Chickenpox.
It was also believed that the bacillus lurked harmlessly unless a severe immune depression led it to blood borne spread, leading for example to Miliary tuberculosis.
Could the authors or anyone else be kind enough to debunk these “myths”.
Thank you.
JK Anand
(worked in cardiothoracic surgery in the 1960s, in England).
Rapid Response:
Re: Is Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection life long?
I hope the authors will forgive me if I am wrong. My memory (I am aged 87) tells me that in my youth, if one developed a primary complex in the lung, it could either proceed to a spreading infection, or it could "heal" - a healed primary complex with calcification which remained radiologically demonstrable all life long.
You developed a tuberculin reactivity which was demonstrable by Mantoux test or Heaf test.
The reactivity was supposedly long lasting though temporarily depressed by viral infections eg, Measles, Chickenpox.
It was also believed that the bacillus lurked harmlessly unless a severe immune depression led it to blood borne spread, leading for example to Miliary tuberculosis.
Could the authors or anyone else be kind enough to debunk these “myths”.
Thank you.
JK Anand
(worked in cardiothoracic surgery in the 1960s, in England).
Competing interests: No competing interests