Encyclopedia of Tuberculosis: Volume III (Diagnostic Approaches)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a highly infectious disease and it is suspected that close to one-third of the world's human population has already been affected by it. Nearly, one-tenth of the infected individuals stand the chance of developing the disease, which makes its eradication a serious challenge. It is an airborne disease and easily spreads through aerosols. However, the most worrisome fact is that most affected people are absolutely unaware of their condition because the responsible bacterium causes no specific symptoms. Nevertheless, the infected cannot spread the infection any further. At the stage of development, the disease becomes dangerously contagious and the symptoms make rapid advances. Hence, detection and differentiation between infection and disease has become a serious problem. This book presents the experiences of global experts on the detection and treatment of this disease.