Eradication of tuberculosis: Myth or fact?

Abstract

The possibility to eradicate the TB, probably the illness that more damage has caused to the human species, it has been the man's legitimate dream along all its history. This article wants to analyze the complexity of the battle between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the human species, trying to carry out a review of all the knowledge regarding this disease and of the most important things of what can happen in the future. Of all the topics exposed in this article we can conclude that, although the human species has enough knowledge to win the battle to M. tuberculosis, important conditions, mainly social (poverty, immigration, HIV, MDR), are favouring the war side of the bacillus. And that, even applying adequately all the good acquired knowledge for the control of the TB (detection and cure of cases, chemoprophylaxis, vaccination BCG, etc), it would take a long time, even several centuries, in being able to get the eradication of the TB. Only the possibility to discover a vaccine 100 effective%, or the discovery of new antimicrobial associations that can cure the TB in a term non superior to 15 days, could accelerate this rhythm toward the eradication. But, unfortunately, basis that allow to dream don't exist with which anyone of these two possibilities can be turned in next 10-20 years. Therefore, the dream of eradicating the TB is a very old dream, but unfortunately, even very remote to be achieved.