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.
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.