<s>[INST] Can I give TB to others? [/INST] If you were exposed to someone with TB disease, you may become infected with TB bacteria, but you would not be able to spread the bacteria to others right away. Only people with infectious TB disease can spread TB germs to others. Before you would be able to spread TB germs to others, you would have to breathe in TB germs and become infected. Then the germs would have to multiply in your body and cause infectious TB disease. At this point, you could possibly spread TB germs to others.

In most people who breathe in TB germs and become infected, the body can fight the germs to stop them from growing. The germs become inactive, but they remain alive in the body and can become active later. This is called latent TB infection (LTBI). People with LTBI cannot spread TB germs to others. People who have LTBI can be treated to prevent TB disease. Source: CDC. Link: https://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/faqs/tb-qa.htm. Field: Lung Disease. Disease: Tuberculosis </s>