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Jaydip Ghosh

Very nice article, thoughtful and objective.
I grew up in India. Back in the forties and fifties, some of my relatives died in TB. When I was a kid (in the seventies to early eighties) I heared people saying that the "germ" of TB is not destroyed even if the body of person died in TB is cremated (burnt to ashes). Moreover, they used to say that the TB "germ" can stay active in the nature for decades. Afterwards, as the drug therapy improved, fatal outcome of TB infection became rare. Now, we are hearing it again, because of the emergence of the drug resistant varities. I believe mycobacterial "sporulation" might explain not only the latent nature of the mycobacterial diseases, but also the bug's toughness to survive outside the host.

Elio's comment

An interesting point, Jaydip. As the story unfolds, this may become an important point to consider. Thanks for telling us.

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