Martini M, Besozzi G, Barberis I
University of Genoa, Department of Health Sciences, Section of Medical History and Ethics, Genoa, Italy.
UNESCO CHAIR Anthropology of Health - Biosphere and Healing System, University of Genoa, Italy.
J Prev Med Hyg. 2018 Sep 28;59(3):E241-E247. doi: 10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2018.59.3.1051. eCollection 2018 Sep.
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the oldest diseases known to affect humanity, and is still a major public health problem. It is caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT), isolated in 1882 by Robert Koch. Until the 1950s, X rays were used as a cheap method of diagnostic screening together with the tuberculin skin sensitivity test. In the diagnosis and treatment of TB, an important role was also played by surgery. The late Nineteenth century saw the introduction of the tuberculosis sanatorium, which proved to be one of the first useful measures against TB. Subsequently, Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin used a non-virulent MT strain to produce a live attenuated vaccine. In the 1980s and 1990s, the incidence of tuberculosis surged as a major opportunistic infection in people with HIV infection and AIDS; for this reason, a combined strategy based on improving drug treatment, diagnostic instruments and prevention was needed.
结核病是已知影响人类最古老的疾病之一，至今仍是一个重大的公共卫生问题。它由结核分枝杆菌（MT）引起，该病菌于1882年由罗伯特·科赫分离出来。直到20世纪50年代，X射线与结核菌素皮肤敏感性试验一起被用作廉价的诊断筛查方法。在结核病的诊断和治疗中，外科手术也发挥了重要作用。19世纪后期引入了结核病疗养院，事实证明这是对抗结核病的首批有效措施之一。随后，阿尔贝·卡尔梅特和卡米耶·介兰使用无毒的MT菌株生产了一种减毒活疫苗。在20世纪80年代和90年代，结核病发病率激增，成为艾滋病毒感染者和艾滋病患者的主要机会性感染；因此，需要一种基于改善药物治疗、诊断仪器和预防的综合策略。
