[Tuberculosis at the threshold of the 21st century]

The author summarizes the most important results of the present history of tuberculosis obtained both in Hungary and abroad. He deals with the state of the art of the tuberculosis epidemics all over the world and in Hungary, presenting also the potential genetic risks. He also discusses the risk groups with special regard to the extremely large regional differences, searching for the underlying causes, as well as to that of the relationships between the epidemic and the social factors. He reviews the up-to-date methods of the diagnostics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. He evaluates the significance of mass screening in the early diagnosis of tuberculosis and lung cancer in Hungary. He gives an overview of the current strategy of treatment, of the principals of directly observed therapy short course (DOTS) and the international results obtained. In the Hungarian surveillance programme, these principles are adapted under domestic conditions. Based on the data from Hungary and abroad, he presents the risk of development of multidrug-resistant strains and the mechanism of their development, presuming that genetic methods will also play a role in the future management of tuberculosis.