ABSTRACT
Bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of pulmonary tuberculosis in humans, were fi rst identifi ed by Robert Koch in 1882. At this time tuberculosis was not uncommon or novel: the disease was known to the ancient Greeks, and was known by several names over the centuries (consumption, phthisis, white plague). Pulmonary tuberculosis kills more people today than at any time in history. It kills more people than any other infectious disease. It is estimated that one of three people alive are infected with the tubercle bacillus, and more than 9 million new cases were reported in 2008 (WHO 2008).
