Some of the symptoms of tuberculosis (TB)—coughing, fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, and night sweats—also can occur in other illnesses that affect the lungs. These illnesses may occur along with TB infection.

Some of these other conditions include:

• Lung cancer.
• Bacterial lung abscess (empyema).
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Pneumonia.
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
• Infection with a fungus, such as in histoplasmosis.
• Infection with another Mycobacterium, such as Mycobacterium kansasii or Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex.