tuberculosis
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (1)
- infection transmitted by inhalation or ingestion of tubercle bacilli and manifested in fever and small lesions (usually in the lungs but in various other parts of the body in acute stages)Synonyms: TBT.B.Type of infectious diseaseKinds scrofula, lupus vulgaris, miliary tuberculosis, pulmonary tuberculosis, Pott's disease
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: NL. See Tubercle.
Medicine A constitutional disease caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (also called the Tubercle bacillus), characterized by the production of tubercles in the internal organs, and especially in the lungs, where it constitutes the most common variety of pulmonary phthisis (consumption). The Mycobacteria are slow-growing and without cell walls, and are thus not affected by the beta-lactam antibiotics; treatment is difficult, usually requiring simultaneous administration of multiple antibiotics to effect a cure. Prior to availability of antibiotic treatment, the cure required extensive rest, for which special sanatoriums were constructed.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: +PJC