WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF “TUBERCULOSIS IS A HERITABLE DISORDER”?

Alen J. Salerian MD*

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis. One-third of the world's population is colonized by M. tuberculosis. For the great majority of people, M. tuberculosis is part of normal human physiology and flora and 90% of the people infected by M. Tuberculosis do not develop active tuberculosis. New discoveries suggest gestational sac is not sterile without any evidence of contaminants suggesting that human cells may produce bacteria. Evidence suggests host biology may dictate the transformation of M. tuberculosis to a pathogen causing tuberculosis. Of significance, not all immune compromised patients colonized with M. tuberculosis progress to tuberculosis and not all patients with diabetes colonized by M. tuberculosis develop tuberculosis suggesting that host biology and factors independent of host immunocompetence may determine the transformation of M. tuberculosis to a pathogen causing tuberculosis. Objective: To project odds of certainty that tuberculosis Is heritable based upon diverse observations that are either consistent or inconsistent with tuberculosis being heritable. Methods: We applied probability theory R=1/X2 with R representing random occurrence and x representing a number of diverse observations that are either consistent or inconsistent with tuberculosis being heritable. Results: Consistent with the probability theory, the odds of Tuberculosis being a heritable disorder is %99.999. Furthermore, converging epidemiological clinical and genetic studies also suggest tuberculosis is a heritable disorder. Discussion: Tuberculosis is a heritable condition disorder that can be transmitted to new hosts. Yet, the human cells that produce M tuberculosis is unknown. Stem cells are the most likely origin.

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