Transmission
of
Tuberculosis

• Tuberculosis is spread through airborne particles.

• Transmission occurs when droplets (that contain the causative bacterium) produced via sneezes or coughs of an infected person are inhaled by another individual.

• The diameter of droplet nuclei can be between 1 and 5 microns.

• TB is not transmitted through surface contact. 

• While TB in the lungs or throat is infectious, TB in other parts of the body such as kidney or spine is usually not infectious.

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Factors that Determine the Probability of M. tuberculosis Transmission

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Source: https://www.cdc.gov/tb/education/corecurr/pdf/chapter2.pdf