RT Book, Section A1 Behrman, Amy J. A2 Cydulka, Rita K. A2 Fitch, Michael T. A2 Joing, Scott A. A2 Wang, Vincent J. A2 Cline, David M. A2 Ma, O. John SR Print(0) ID 1143140348 T1 Tuberculosis T2 Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine Manual, 8e YR 2017 FD 2017 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071837026 LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1143140348 RD 2024/10/05 AB Tuberculosis (TB) is the second most common cause of infectious disease deaths globally, with one-third of the world's population infected. Although active TB infection rates continue to decline in the United States, TB remains an important public health problem, particularly among immigrants whose active TB case rate is 12 times higher than the US-born population. Other risk factors include HIV infection; living or working in prison, shelters, and long-term care facilities; and alcohol/drug abuse. Transmission occurs by inhalation of droplet nuclei and may lead to active primary infection or latent disease (which may reactivate later). Identifying and treating high-risk patients for active and latent TB is key to ongoing TB control.