Experts in the field of microbiology tell the great detective stories of how some of the world's best-known deadly disease-causing microbes were first isolated, identified, and studied. Readers learn how these deadly viruses and bacteria cause disease and what steps have been taken to eradicate them. Tuberculosis killed one out of every seven people living in the United States and Europe in the late 19th century. Today, tuberculosis is the second most fatal infectious disease, claiming the lives of two million people each year. Learn about this ancient disease that we are still striving to eliminate.