Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing, rod-shaped bacterium with a thick, waxy cell wall that makes it resistant to many environmental stresses and difficult to treat. It thrives in oxygen-rich environments such as the lungs and can survive inside immune cells, allowing it to persist in the body. Notably, it can remain dormant for years before becoming active, contributing to the long-term and sometimes latent nature of tuberculosis infection.
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