Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection caused by a germ called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but they can also damage other parts of the body. TB spreads through the air when a person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes or talks. If you think you have been exposed, you should go to your doctor for tests as soon as possible. You are more likely to get TB if you have a weak immune system.

What is Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a dreaded bacterial infection. It has been known to mankind since ancient ages. It was commonly called “consumption” at the turn of the last century because of the way the disease seemed to “consume” the individual it affected.

Tuberculosis Screening

Tuberculosis Causes

New tuberculosis technologies: importance of access in the private health sector

How Has The COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Tuberculosis Eradication?

Tuberculosis Diagnosis

Tuberculosis in Animals

Tuberculosis Prognosis

Tuberculosis Transmission

Tuberculosis Prevention

Tuberculosis Treatment

History of Tuberculosis

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What is the END TB Strategy?

Latest Tuberculosis News and Research

New pair of techniques can speed up the search for better tuberculosis drugs

Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the world's deadliest single-agent caused infection, responsible for 1.23 million deaths in 2024, according to the World Health Organization.

6 Jul 2026

BCG vaccine may remodel the human brain's immune environment

New research led by Mass General Brigham investigators suggests that the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine - which is delivered through the skin to prevent tuberculosis - may remodel the human brain's immune environment, offering a potential biological explanation for previously observed associations between BCG vaccination and lower Alzheimer's disease risk.

6 Jul 2026

Can ibuprofen improve drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment?

While ibuprofen reduced inflammatory markers in drug-resistant TB patients, it did not enhance treatment outcomes, indicating the need for further research.

3 Jul 2026

New grants advance AI-powered wastewater pathogen surveillance

Detecting infectious disease threats early and responding quickly can dramatically alter the course of an infectious outbreak.

2 Jul 2026

Study links severe COVID to higher TB risk, and vaccination appears to blunt the link

A nationwide Chilean cohort study of more than 3.6 million adults found that severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization was associated with more than an eightfold higher hazard of incident tuberculosis within one year. The association was strongest in the first six months and among unvaccinated individuals, although absolute TB incidence remained low.

1 Jul 2026

New strategy restores vancomycin effectiveness against resistant bacteria

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent threats to global health, linked to an estimated 4.7 million deaths worldwide in 2019 alone.

29 Jun 2026

Unexplained skin darkening leads to life-saving Addison's disease diagnosis

A 24-year-old woman presented with two years of unexplained darkening of her hands, feet, gums, and tongue.

26 Jun 2026

Study reveals early immune clues to predict active tuberculosis risk

An early view of the immune response to bacteria in the lungs provides clues as to why some people keep TB in check, while others develop disease, suggesting new ways to intervene earlier and stop TB.

24 Jun 2026

Scientists discover how fat tissue drives the spread of triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is aggressive and hard to treat. But the role of fat tissue in how the cancer spreads may help point toward new understanding and treatments, according to a new paper from scientists at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) and colleagues at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

23 Jun 2026

Researchers identify control switch protein that starves tuberculosis bacteria

A protein that acts as a 'control switch,' preventing Mycobacterium tuberculosis from accessing the energy sources it needs to survive, has been identified by researchers at the University of Surrey.

23 Jun 2026

Engineered CAR-T cells offer potential rheumatoid arthritis cure

For the 18 million people living with rheumatoid arthritis, disease management currently means a lifetime of injections-a reality that new research from Tsinghua University may soon begin to change.

22 Jun 2026

Quest Diagnostics study uncovers widespread community reservoirs of deadly gut bacterium

A common bacterial strain that lives naturally in people's guts can cause a dangerous or deadly infection for some, especially when it becomes multidrug-resistant and causes chronic urinary-tract infections (UTIs) in elderly women.

18 Jun 2026

Progress and gaps shape India's tuberculosis control strategy

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Tuberculosis (TB) is among the main infectious diseases responsible for global mortality worldwide. Cases in India, markedly contribute to the global TB burden.

12 Jun 2026

$3.8 million grant funds study on early lung immune responses to tuberculosis

A University of Minnesota Medical School research team was awarded a 5-year, $3.8 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study early immune responses in the lung and how they influence tuberculosis infection outcomes.

8 Jun 2026

Untargeted metabolomics approach identifies potential biomarkers for latent tuberculosis diagnosis

Announcing a new article publication in BIO Integration. Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is difficult to diagnose due to the lack of a definitive gold standard.

5 Jun 2026

Is any level of alcohol safe? Major review reveals where drinking risks rise

This Burden of Proof review found that alcohol consumption is associated with higher risks for several cancers, liver disease, pancreatitis, lower respiratory infections, tuberculosis, and atrial fibrillation. Although low-to-moderate drinking showed modest observational links with lower risks of type 2 diabetes, dementia, and some cardiovascular outcomes, the evidence was weaker and potentially biased.

2 Jun 2026

Novel therapeutic agent proposed to combat drug resistant tuberculosis

A research team led by Associate Professor Noriyuki Kurita from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Toyohashi University of Technology and by Associate Professor Pornpan Pungpo from Ubon Ratchathani University in Thailand has proposed a novel therapeutic agent for tuberculosis, using high-precision molecular simulation techniques.

29 May 2026

Chronic liver disease threatens millions across Europe, report finds

Europe is facing a growing chronic liver disease threat, according to a new Series published today in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, that engaged more than 75 co-authors from 30 countries and was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation.

25 May 2026

Tuberculosis drives trillion dollar economic crisis, research shows

The impacts of tuberculosis (TB) are usually discussed in terms of public health and human suffering. Now, new research presented at the 2026 ATS International Conference shows that TB is also driving a massive global economic crisis.

18 May 2026

Scientists call for innovative strategies to combat tuberculosis superspreaders

Superspreading became a familiar concept to many during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior studies examining infectious disease epidemics, including those on COVID-19, have found that some individuals are much more likely to transmit infections to other people. Superspreading, when one person with an infection passes it to an unusually large number of other people, is a key feature of tuberculosis (TB) epidemiology.

15 May 2026