medical_specialty tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis
Sputum is mucus and is the name used for the coughed - up material ( phlegm ) from the lower airways ( trachea and bronchi ). This process is known as sputilization . In medicine , sputum samples are usually used for naked eye exam , microbiological investigations of respiratory infections and cytological investigations of respiratory systems . It is critical that the patient not give a specimen that includes any mucoid material from the interior of the nose . Naked eye exam of sputum can be done at home by a patient in order to note the various colors ( see below ). Any hint of yellow color suggests an airway ___MASK32___ ( but does not indicate between the types of organisms causing it ). Such color hints are best detected when the sputum is viewed on a very white background such as white paper , a white pot , or a white sink surface . The more intense the yellow color , the more likely it is a bacterial ___MASK32___ ( bronchitis , bronchopneumonia , or pneumonia ). Tuberculosis ( TB ) is an ___MASK81___ caused by the bacterium " Mycobacterium tuberculosis " ( MTB ). Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs , but can also affect other parts of the body . Most infections do not have symptoms ; in which case it is known as latent tuberculosis . About 10 % of latent infections progress to active disease which , if left untreated , kills about half of those infected . The classic symptoms of active TB are a chronic cough with blood - containing sputum , fever , night sweats , and weight loss . The historical term " consumption " came about due to the weight loss . Infection of other organs can cause a wide range of symptoms . Tuberculosis is spread through the air when people who have active TB in their lungs cough , spit , speak , or sneeze . People with latent TB do not spread the disease . Active infection occurs more often in people with HIV / AIDS and in those who smoke . Diagnosis of active TB is based on chest X - rays , as well as microscopic examination and culture of body fluids . Diagnosis of latent TB relies on the tuberculin skin test ( TST ) or blood tests . Prevention of TB involves screening those at high risk , early detection and treatment of cases , and vaccination with the bacillus Calmette - Guérin vaccine . Those at high risk include household , workplace , and social contacts of people with active TB . Treatment requires the use of multiple antibiotics over a long period of time . Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem with increasing rates of multiple drug - resistant tuberculosis ( MDR - TB ). One - third of the world ' s population is thought to be infected with TB . New infections occur in about 1 % of the population each year . In 2014 , there were 9 . 6 million cases of active TB which resulted in 1 . 5 million deaths . More than 95 % of deaths occurred in developing countries . The number of new cases each year has decreased since 2000 . About 80 % of people in many Asian and African countries test positive while 5  10 % of people in the United States population tests positive by the tuberculin test . Tuberculosis has been present in humans since ancient times . A diagnosis of latent tuberculosis ( LTB ), also called latent tuberculosis ___MASK32___ ( LTBI ) means a patient is infected with " Mycobacterium tuberculosis ", but the patient does not have active tuberculosis . Active tuberculosis can be contagious while latent tuberculosis is not , and it is therefore not possible to get TB from someone with latent tuberculosis . The main risk is that approximately 10 % of these patients ( 5 % in the first two years after ___MASK32___ and 0 . 1 % per year thereafter ) will go on to develop active tuberculosis . This is particularly true , and there is added risk , in particular situations such as medication that suppresses the immune system or advancing age . Human immunodeficiency virus ___MASK32___ and acquired immune deficiency syndrome ( HIV / AIDS ) is a spectrum of conditions caused by ___MASK32___ with the human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ). Following initial ___MASK32___ , a person may not notice any symptoms or may experience a brief period of influenza - like illness . Typically , this is followed by a prolonged period with no symptoms . As the ___MASK32___ progresses , it interferes more with the immune system , increasing the risk of common infections like tuberculosis , as well as other opportunistic infections , and tumors that rarely affect people who have working immune systems . These late symptoms of ___MASK32___ are referred to as AIDS . This stage is often also associated with weight loss . HIV is spread primarily by unprotected sex ( including anal and oral sex ), contaminated blood transfusions , hypodermic needles , and from mother to child during pregnancy , delivery , or breastfeeding . Some bodily fluids , such as saliva and tears , do not transmit HIV . Methods of prevention include safe sex , needle exchange programs , treating those who are infected , and male circumcision . Disease in a baby can often be prevented by giving both the mother and child antiretroviral medication . There is no cure or vaccine ; however , antiretroviral treatment can slow the course of the disease and may lead to a near - normal life expectancy . Treatment is recommended as soon as the diagnosis is made . Without treatment , the average survival time after ___MASK32___ is 11 years . In 2015 about 36 . 7 million people were living with HIV and it resulted in 1 . 1 million deaths . Most of those infected live in sub - Saharan Africa . Between its discovery and 2014 AIDS has caused an estimated 39 million deaths worldwide . HIV / AIDS is considered a pandemic  a disease outbreak which is present over a large area and is actively spreading . HIV is believed to have originated in west - central Africa during the late 19th or early 20th century . AIDS was first recognized by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) in 1981 and its cause  HIV ___MASK32___  was identified in the early part of the decade . HIV / AIDS has had a great impact on society , both as an illness and as a source of discrimination . The disease also has large economic impacts . There are many misconceptions about HIV / AIDS such as the belief that it can be transmitted by casual non - sexual contact . The disease has become subject to many controversies involving religion including the Catholic Church ' s decision not to support condom use as prevention . It has attracted international medical and political attention as well as large - scale funding since it was identified in the 1980s . A lymph node or lymph gland , is an ovoid or kidney - shaped organ of the lymphatic system , and of the adaptive immune system , that is widely present throughout the body . They are linked by the lymphatic vessels as a part of the circulatory system . Lymph nodes are major sites of B and T lymphocytes , and other white blood cells . Lymph nodes are important for the proper functioning of the immune system , acting as filters for foreign particles and cancer cells . Lymph nodes do not have a detoxification function , which is primarily dealt with by the liver and kidneys . Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material ( a vaccine ) to stimulate an individual ' s immune system to develop adaptive immunity to a pathogen . Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate morbidity from ___MASK32___ . When a sufficiently large percentage of a population has been vaccinated , this results in herd immunity . The effectiveness of vaccination has been widely studied and verified ; for example , the influenza vaccine , the HPV vaccine , and the chicken pox vaccine . Vaccination is the most effective method of preventing infectious diseases ; widespread immunity due to vaccination is largely responsible for the worldwide eradication of smallpox and the restriction of diseases such as polio , measles , and tetanus from much of the world . The World Health Organization ( WHO ) reports that licensed vaccines are currently available to prevent or contribute to the prevention and control of twenty - five preventable infections . A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular disease . A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease - causing microorganism and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe , its toxins or one of its surface proteins . The agent stimulates the body ' s immune system to recognize the agent as a threat , destroy it , and keep a record of it so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters . Vaccines can be prophylactic ( example : to prevent or ameliorate the effects of a future ___MASK32___ by any natural or " wild " pathogen ), or therapeutic ( e . g ., vaccines against cancer are being investigated ). White blood cells ( WBCs ), also called leukocytes or leucocytes , are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both ___MASK81___ and foreign invaders . All white blood cells are produced and derived from multipotent cells in the bone marrow known as hematopoietic stem cells . Leukocytes are found throughout the body , including the blood and lymphatic system . Mycobacterial cervical lymphadenitis , also known as scrofula or King ' s evil , refers to a lymphadenitis of the cervical lymph nodes associated with tuberculosis as well as non - tuberculous ( atypical ) mycobacteria .