There is an unparalleled situation in the history of tuberculosis taking place now. New and better diagnostic methods are available for both pulmonary and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. New antimicrobials are under evaluation in clinical trials that can completely change the current treatment paradigm of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis. These advances promote enthusiasm for eliminating tuberculosis by 2050, as suggested by the Stop TB and the Millennium Development Goals. Nevertheless, tuberculosis remains a major public health problem in both developing and developed countries. This is reflected in the growing number of new cases being reported from India and China every year, despite a global trend of a reduction in the incidence rate over the last decades, and in the steady increase in the prevalence of infections caused by drug-resistant strains worldwide. The magnitude of the problem has also been reflected in the increasing yearly number of scientific publications on the subject. Each year more and more publications in scientific journals, including original articles, reviews, and comprehensive series are being published. Several textbooks and concise books are also available written by experts in the field.
In this context, what does this book contribute? I found this monograph very useful, up to date, well referenced and concise. It was written for respiratory or chest physicians, but I do believe that it is going to be very much welcomed as well by internal medicine physicians, infectious diseases specialists, and general practitioners and indeed by every healthcare professional involved in the management of tuberculosis. The book is organized in 18 chapters that cover almost all aspects of the disease, including unexpected topics for a concise monograph such as human genetic variability and genomics and single molecular detection. The pathogenesis of tuberculosis and immunity to Mycobaterium tuberculosis are explained in a simple yet comprehensive manner. The chapter on epidemiology describes very well the current situation of tuberculosis in the world, and discusses the role of several co-factors in fuelling TB epidemics. A more detailed discussion of the interaction between diabetes mellitus and tuberculosis, and the negative role of depression would have been desirable. The chapters on prevention and new vaccines are very well written. A thorough discussion on cost-effective strategies for case-finding in developing countries is lacking. The chapter on diagnosis is an excellent overview of diagnostic tools available to date. Elegant graphs and figures accompany this very well written chapter. However, useful and complementary information on the topic of diagnosis is scattered throughout the book, which can only be found reading the complete monograph. I would suggest concentrating all information on diagnosis in a single chapter. The clinical and therapeutic chapters are concise and updated. Although an adult infectious diseases physician, I particularly enjoyed reading the paediatric chapter. The monograph presents an extensive and comprehensive chapter on adverse drug reactions that is going to be very useful for clinicians. The remaining chapters follow the main principle of the monograph, which is to provide a concise overview of tuberculosis, for which the editors should be congratulated.
I fully recommend reading this monograph for everyone involved in tuberculosis management. Its concise style makes it a suitable companion for a busy clinician looking for easy answers to daily clinical dilemmas.
