infectious diseases
Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis (TB)
Introduction
Tuberculosis outside the lung usually results from hematogenous dissemination. Sometimes infection directly extends from an adjacent organ. Symptoms vary by site but generally include fever, malaise, and weight loss. Diagnosis is most often by sputum smear and culture and, increasingly, by rapid molecular-based diagnostic tests. Treatment is with multiple antimicrobial drugs given for at least 6 months. (for which humans are the main reservoir). Although the lungs are the initial site of infection, disease can spread to many organs. (For details on the organism, pathophysiology, and pulmonary disease, see Tuberculosis (TB) .) 