[The infectiousness of tuberculosis]

In extrapulmonary tuberculosis, infectiousness can be considered negligible. The number of viable organisms in the sputum of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis decreases markedly during chemotherapy in the first 2 weeks but they retain their pathogenicity; therefore, patient with sputum-positive tuberculosis cannot be regarded as non-infectious. Outpatient treatment can be recommended only if the patient is isolated at home and the intake of the prescribed drugs is guaranteed. An increasing rate of susceptible people are to be expected in the future. Measures for controlling the infection continue to be mandatory.