World Tuberculosis (TB) Day - 24th March 2022
Zoonoses and Public Health published this online article
March 23rd, 2022
On March 24th 2022, 141 years will have elapsed since the day on which the scientist Robert Koch announced the discovery of the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a major milestone in the road towards eradicating this deadly disease that once caused millions of deaths throughout the world. This day also serves as a reminder of the long road ahead of us in the fight against TB, which is still a major public health issue in several regions of the world, and leads to over one million deaths every year. Among the several aspects of human TB that still need to be addressed, the one that stands out is the role that other members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, particularly M. bovis (the main causative agent of tuberculosis in animals), may play in the epidemiology of the disease in humans. The true contribution of this bacterium to the overall burden of human TB worldwide is still poorly understood but could be particularly relevant in low- and middle-income countries where M. bovis infection in livestock is endemic, and thus domestic ruminants can serve as a source of infection for humans
 | Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). 111 |
