Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the foremost infectious disease killer globally with almost a billion people succumbing to the disease over the last two centuries. Although the global incidence of TB has been declining slowly over the last decade, the disease burden, focused mainly in Africa, South East Asia and South America, remains considerable. In 2019 the WHO estimated that there were ∼ 10 million people who became newly ill from tuberculosis with ∼ 1.4 million deaths. This article outlines the basic microbiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and reviews the pathogenesis, clinical and molecular epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical presentation, antimicrobial treatment, and prevention of TB. The latest advances in the field are highlighted and a translational problem-solving approach is emphasized.