CANBERRA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- People who share bongs to smoke marijuana may be at risk of contracting pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) , Australian medical researchers warned on Friday.
Dr Michael Hayes and Dr Susan Miles from Calvary Mater Hospital in Newcastle of Australia conducted the research, which centered on three recent TB cases in New South Wales.
TB is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which can be contracted by breathing in air droplets coughed from an infected person.
The research suggested a link between active TB cases and shared bongs, which is the water pipes commonly used in marijuana smoking.
According to Dr Hayes, the three young patients were regular or heavy cannabis users, and more recently there has been a fourth person in the region with similar characteristics had been diagnosed with TB.
He said although the three initial cases were not related, there was concern about the high rate of positive contacts among people who had shared bongs with the active cases.
Smoking marijuana is a cough-provoking activity and it is usually conducted in a confined environment that is conducive to the spread of the organism, he told Australia Associated Press.