Testing and Treating Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection

After infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a minority of individuals will progress to tuberculosis disease (TB). The risk is higher among persons with well-established risk factors and within the first year after infection. Testing and treating individuals at high risk of progression maximizes the benefits of TB preventive therapy; avoiding testing of low-risk persons will limit potential harms. Several treatment options are available; rifamycin-based regimens offer the best efficacy-safety balance. In this review, we present an overview of the diagnosis and treatment of TB infection, and summarize common clinical scenarios.