ABSTRACT
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the cause of human tuberculosis (TB), has been a scourge of humanity throughout recorded history. Even today, this bacille claims 2 to 3 million lives per year, remains one of the leading causes of death among the infectious diseases (1), and is the leading killer of people with AIDS (2). Human TB is a multistage disease. Any rational approach to TB control must be based upon the pathogenic processes at work during these stages.
