Tuberculosis has killed more than one billion people in the last 200 years. It is the oldest and the deadliest human pathogen, recently surpassing HIV. Its adaptation to host and drug pressures is remarkable given its slow rate of growth and provides a moving target in molecular epidemiology of the disease. In this talk we will discuss the epidemiology of the disease, the challenges that the pathogen offers in its adaptation, and the challenges faced in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various diagnostics platforms and outline some exciting new developments on the diagnostics and prognostics fronts.
Learning Objectives:
1. Epidemiology of tuberculosis
2. Diagnostic approaches for detection of antibiotic resistance