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Not to worry too much. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is essentially cosmopolitan. It is and will become more common as a pathogen in this country as it was once nearly extinguished as a disease in this country in all except alcoholic, but is making a comeback as illigal aliens stream across the border. We are starting to see some close kin to Mycobacterium tuberculosis with the leprosy organism now being found in this country as a clinical disease.

I used to work as a lab assistant when I was in undergraduate school and we cultured Mycobacterium avium, but never the tuberculosis organism.

I have found may people on routine Chest X-ray with calcified granulomas in the apex of the lung indicating a once active case now quiescent and calcified. Most of these patients are seropositive for TB.