Koch's wand is the worst enemy of man

Just over a hundred years ago, tuberculosis was considered a disease that could not be cured. In those days, one epidemic of this disease could carry with it millions of lives, and depended not only on how strong its pathogen, but also the conditions in which people lived. Nowadays, the achievements of science have allowed to create not only effective methods of treatment, but also the prevention of this disease. A man has begun to conquer the disease since at the end of the nineteenth century Robert Koch discovered a bacterium - a causative agent of tuberculosis, which was named in honor of the great scientist - Koch's wand.

Koch's wand causes many terrible diseases that can easily kill a person. The most common are pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculosis of the lymph nodes. They develop primarily in those people who live in conditions that force their immunity to constantly resist this or that pathogenic microorganism. Usually people who suffer from a lack of vitamins suffer from malnutrition. Sometimes tuberculosis can begin after the transfer of a particular infection, for example, pneumonia, if the proper treatment has not been received.

It is noteworthy that in our days there is a considerable risk of tuberculosis. This is due to the fact that Koch's stick is extremely resistant to a variety of factors that easily kill other microorganisms. The only thing that copes with this bacterium is the effect of high temperature, direct sunlight and substances containing chlorine. This survivability of the bacterium is due to its special structure. It is characterized by the presence of a special cellular structure - a capsule that protects the bacterium from most external influences.

Usually the causative agent of a tuberculosis is transferred by means of a saliva or a phlegm of the patient which get to an environment during coughing or sneezing. It is worth remembering that according to statistics, the incidence of various kinds of tuberculosis is about five percent. Therefore, it is not surprising that almost any public place can catch tuberculosis. In addition, in the body of each person there is a certain number of Koch sticks, which, however, can not develop due to the action of immunity. If they only get into favorable conditions for themselves, the risk of their development will sharply increase.

An important role in the fight against tuberculosis in our time is played by various preventive measures. This includes fluorography, which shows changes in lung tissue caused by infection, and a test for tuberculosis, which indicates the presence of pathogens in human biological fluids, or the Mantoux reaction, which, however, acts properly only in children.

Thus, despite the fact that Koch's wand is a formidable microorganism capable of destroying huge numbers of people, it is possible to resist it simply by following a set of rules: proper nutrition, a healthy lifestyle, minimal contact with tuberculosis patients and regular testing for infection.