Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious and contagious disease-potentially serious-caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Koch’s bacillus, named after the German physician and bacteriologist who discovered it back in 1882.
Tuberculosis-which in most cases affects the lungs-is transmitted through droplets of saliva emitted by the sick person during phonation, coughing, spitting and sneezing. Fortunately, most people who come in contact with these germs do not develop symptoms of the disease, which is effectively nipped in the bud by the immune system.
