Is it a virus or is it a bacterium?

The Gruniad find it difficult to tell the difference:

· The TB virus is spread by mycobacteria through people coughing and sneezing and affects patients' lungs and pulmonary systems, making it difficult for them to breathe.

· The disease is thought to have either originated in cattle or to have stemmed from a bacterium that evolved separately to infect both species.

· In 2006, 1.6 million people died of TB. India currently has the highest rate of infection with about 3.5 million patients, compared to around 7,000 in Britain.

· Famous TB victims include Robert Burns, George Orwell, Immanuel Kant and Eleanor Roosevelt.