[Tuberculosis in the community: viewpoint of the family physician]

In 1991, 3 patients of an overall patient population of 1400 were found to be suffering from active tuberculosis (TB). They were long-time residents of Israel and were not of Ethiopian origin. 2 had TB of the lymph-nodes of the head and neck and the third had pleural TB with involvement of the ribs. In each case TB was diagnosed retroactively; the original presumptive diagnosis was malignancy. This relative increased incidence of TB should increase our awareness of this disease.