How is the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis primarily transmitted between individuals?
Answer
Inhaling airborne particles from an infected person
Tuberculosis is fundamentally an airborne infectious disease. Transmission occurs when a person with active pulmonary tuberculosis expels microscopic droplets containing the bacteria through coughing or sneezing. These droplets remain suspended in the air and can be easily inhaled by others nearby. This mode of transmission made the disease particularly dangerous in dense, crowded, and poorly ventilated environments, such as tenements or hospitals, where people spent long periods in close proximity to an undiagnosed, infectious individual.
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