Clinical tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease transmitted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is found in the sputum of patients with pulmonary disease. TB has re-emerged in the cities of Western Europe with a change in its clinical epidemiology to an increased proportion of extrapulmonary disease. It is therefore important that clinicians are aware of its manifestations and treatment. There is increasing concern about drug-resistant TB, but with careful assessment and treatment it appears that drug-resistant TB can be controlled. In sub-Saharan Africa, there is a TB epidemic, driven by co-infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The impact of HIV on TB patients needs to be carefully evaluated and management adjusted accordingly.