1.   Most importantly, they are also found in many healthy people whose tuberculosis infection has not become virulent.

2.   Other researchers have reported transmission of tuberculosis infection in airplanes.

3.   Public health officials say tuberculosis infection rates have grown in recent years because strains of the bacteria have become resistant to the most commonly used antibiotics.

4.   The evolution of drug-resistant tuberculosis is converging with the spread of AIDS, which destroys the immune system that normally prevents tuberculosis infection from developing into illness.

5.   Watanabe said prefectural health officials were too busy dealing with the tuberculosis infections during the outbreak to promptly report them to the ministry as required by an ordinance.