Short description
Tuberculosis is a disease of the lungs caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is one of the most frequent causes of death worldwide. A serious problem is the multidrug-resistance of pathogen variants.
Synonyms
Tb
Consumption

Detailed description

According to the World Health Organization, every fourth person is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis without having developed tuberculosis. Only few of them will actually develop the disease. People with a weakened immune system such as those infected with HIV are especially concerned. Transmission is mainly via infected droplets. Tuberculosis occurs especially in developing countries. It can be treated and healed. Multidrug-resistant forms of tuberculosis exist and pose a major problem in therapy.