A passenger on Northwest Airlines Corp.  Flight 51 from Frankfurt to Detroit on March 10 has been diagnosed with tuberculosis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Sunday. The passenger, whose name and nationality are being withheld, was detained at Detroit Metropolitan Airport by customs and border authorities, who noticed the mad showed signs of the disease.

Tuberculosis, a bacterial disease, is spread generally through air. The disease can turn deadly if left untreated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and, most often, affects the lungs or throat, but it can also affect other parts of the body.

Only about 10 percent of those infected with TB develop the disease. The first symptoms of an active case of TB may be so commonplace that they are often dismissed as the effects of a cold or flu. The individual may get tired easily, feel slightly feverish or cough frequently. It usually goes away by itself, but about in about half the cases, it will return. Other symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, weight loss and night sweats.

About 15 percent of people with the disease develop TB in an organ other than the lung, such as the lymph nodes, GI tract, and bones and joints.

The airline and health officials could not confirm how many passengers were on board the Airbus A 330-200 jetliner. As a preventive measure, however, disease control officials are seeking to contact 17 passengers seated near the infected man on the plane, CDC spokeswoman Shelly Diaz said.

“The risk of TB is very low,” she said.

The man infected with tuberculosis was taken to a local hospital to receive treatment. According to the CDC, he is responding to the treatment.