Active TB Disease Active tuberculosis is a disease in which tuberculosis bacteria multiply rapidly and invade various organs in the body. Typical symptoms of active tuberculosis include cough, phlegm, chest pain, weakness, weight loss, fever, chills, and night sweats. People with active pulmonary TB disease can spread TB disease to others by coughing into airborne infectious particles.   If you have been diagnosed with active TB disease, be prepared to provide a detailed medical history of everyone you have been in contact with. These individuals must also be tested, as the active form may be contagious.   Miliary TB Miliary TB is a rare form of active disease that occurs when TB bacteria enter the bloodstream. In this form, the bacteria spread rapidly throughout the body in tiny nodules, affecting multiple organs at once. This form of TB can be fatal very quickly.   Latent TB Infection Many people who contract TB do not develop any overt disease. They have no symptoms and a chest x-ray may be normal. The only manifestation of this encounter may be a reaction to the tuberculin skin test (TST) or interferon gamma release assay (IGRA). However, the risk of escalation of latent infection to active disease persists. Other diseases such as HIV or drugs that weaken the immune system increase the risk. To guard against this, the United States has adopted a strategy of prophylactic treatment or treatment of latent TB infection.