International Journal of Infectious Diseases
Volume 14, Issue 8 , Pages e659-e666, August 2010

Is spinal tuberculosis contagious?

  • Patricia Schirmer

      Affiliations

    • VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 3801 Miranda Avenue (132), Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
    • Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +1 650 852 3408; fax: +1 650 858 3978.
    • ,
  • Cybèle A. Renault

      Affiliations

    • VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 3801 Miranda Avenue (132), Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
    • Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
    • ,
  • Mark Holodniy

      Affiliations

    • VA Palo Alto Health Care System, 3801 Miranda Avenue (132), Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
    • Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

Received 3 July 2009; received in revised form 18 July 2009; accepted 4 November 2009. published online 24 February 2010.

Corresponding Editor: William Cameron, Ottawa, Canada

Summary 

While pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections are recognized for their public health implications, less is known about the infectiousness of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, specifically, spinal tuberculosis or Pott's disease. We present a case of spinal tuberculosis with concomitant active pulmonary tuberculosis in the absence of chest radiographic abnormalities or symptoms, and review the literature regarding infectiousness of concomitant spinal and pulmonary tuberculosis.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Osteomyelitis, Pott's disease, Pulmonary tuberculosis, Spinal tuberculosis

 

PII: S1201-9712(10)00021-4

doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2009.11.009

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
Volume 14, Issue 8 , Pages e659-e666, August 2010

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