Dictionary
tu•ber•cu•lo•sis
Pronunciation: (too-bûr"kyu-lō'sis, tyoo-), [key]—
n. Pathol.
1. an infectious disease that may affect almost any tissue of the body, esp. the lungs, caused by the organism
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and characterized by tubercles.
2. this disease when affecting the lungs; pulmonary phthisis; consumption.
3. any disease caused by a mycobacterium. Also called
TB (for defs. 1, 2).Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.