ABSTRACT
The goal of risk factor analysis is to try to identify the principal causal and modifiable factors affecting tuberculosis (TB) epidemiology. In sum, the standard picture of M. tuberculosis as the agent of slow epidemics is a useful frame of reference, but certain co-factors can profoundly alter TB epidemiology. The simple model described earlier captures some of the typical behavior of TB epidemics, but there are important variations on this basic theme. Besides environmental factors and concomitant illness, infection and the progression to active TB are also under human genetic control. Innovative technologies, especially within the diagnostics sphere, continue to arrive and the TB community must be poised to rapidly evaluate these tools and determine the places and strategies in which such technologies can deliver sufficient health benefits to balance costs. The comparative lack of activity in the TB drug pipeline and the absence of a promising late-phase vaccine candidate stand out as major deficiencies.
