Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
tuberculosis
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
X-rays of patients infected with tuberculosis tuberculosis tuberculosis vaccination
Why is it so hard to fight tuberculosis?
For Students
tuberculosis summary
Quizzes
3d illustration human heart. Adult Anatomy Aorta Black Blood Vessel Cardiovascular System Coronary Artery Coronary Sinus Front View Glowing Human Artery Human Heart Human Internal Organ Medical X-ray Myocardium
Medical Terms and Pioneers Quiz
full human skeleton
Diseases, Disorders, and More: A Medical Quiz
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
44 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Health and Medicine Quizzes
Artificial lung ventilation monitor in the intensive care unit. Nurse with medical equipment. Ventilation of the lungs with oxygen. COVID-19 and coronavirus identification. Pandemic.
Is There a Doctor in the House? Firsts in Medicine Quiz
Read Next
Scanning electron micrograph showing the spiral-shaped bacteria of the genus Leptospira. These organisms cause leptospirosis.
8 Zoonotic Diseases
Discover
Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.
10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish
Easter Procession of Maria Santisima del Sacromonte in Granada, Spain. This statue is known as Virgen de los Gitanos or The Virgin of the Gypsies.
What is Holy Week?
Hemp (Cannabis sativa).
9 Mind-Altering Plants
King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)
9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes
New Zealand. Political/Physical map. Includes locator.
Where Is “Old Zealand”?
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.
Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

tuberculosis: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/tuberculosis
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

AI-powered lung ultrasound outperforms human experts in TB diagnosis • Apr. 18, 2025, 2:41 AM ET (Nation.Africa)
Experimental cancer drug could streamline standard tuberculosis treatment and prevent post-TB lung disease • Apr. 17, 2025, 8:23 AM ET (Medical Xpress)
AI-guided lung ultrasound marks an advance in tuberculosis diagnosis • Apr. 14, 2025, 1:50 AM ET (Medical Xpress)
A new smartphone-sized device can test for tuberculosis: Why that matters for children • Apr. 10, 2025, 1:39 AM ET (Medical Xpress)
Molecular stool test could improve detection of tuberculosis in adults with HIV • Apr. 5, 2025, 12:57 AM ET (Medical Xpress)

Facts

Also Known As TB • phthisis • white plague • consumption

Photos and Videos

X-rays of patients infected with tuberculosis
tuberculosis
tuberculosis vaccination
Why is it so hard to fight tuberculosis?
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Paul Farmer
American anthropologist and epidemiologist
Breckinridge, Madeline McDowell
Madeline McDowell Breckinridge
American social reformer
Robert Koch.
Robert Koch
German bacteriologist
Eugene Lindsay Opie
American pathologist
René Dubos
American microbiologist
Jean Antoine Villemin
French physician
Cohnheim
Julius Friedrich Cohnheim
German pathologist
Albert Calmette
French bacteriologist
Lydia Maria Adams DeWitt
American pathologist

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
44 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Health and Medicine Quizzes
3d illustration human heart. Adult Anatomy Aorta Black Blood Vessel Cardiovascular System Coronary Artery Coronary Sinus Front View Glowing Human Artery Human Heart Human Internal Organ Medical X-ray Myocardium
Medical Terms and Pioneers Quiz
Artificial lung ventilation monitor in the intensive care unit. Nurse with medical equipment. Ventilation of the lungs with oxygen. COVID-19 and coronavirus identification. Pandemic.
Is There a Doctor in the House? Firsts in Medicine Quiz
full human skeleton
Diseases, Disorders, and More: A Medical Quiz
List
Scanning electron micrograph showing the spiral-shaped bacteria of the genus Leptospira. These organisms cause leptospirosis.
8 Zoonotic Diseases