Tuberculosis has an important impact on global public health.

The cause of human tuberculosis (TB), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), was first identified by Dr. Robert Koch in 1882. The first vaccine (BCG) for TB was developed by Drs. Calmette and Guerin and introduced in 1921. The first antibiotic (streptomycin) against Mtb was discovered by Dr. Waksman in 1944. Despite these early breakthroughs in treatment and prevention approaches, according to the latest report by the WHO, Mtb caused  about 10 million active cases of TB leading to about 1.4 millions deaths in 2019.