The Italian national tuberculosis project.

This paper considers the global impact of tuberculosis (TB; one third of the world's population is infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and 30,000,000 TB deaths are estimated to occur in the next ten years) to specifically examine the situation in Italy and the reasons for the resurgence of the disease in our country. These considerations led to the proposal of a nation-wide research project on tuberculosis, coordinated by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) (The National Institute of Health), in order to meet public health needs in this field. The project consists of subprojects focussing on the main research areas (i.e., epidemiology, diagnosis, pathogenesis and immunity, therapy, prevention, and patient care). Specific objectives for each area have been indicated and applications for research and intervention proposals have been called for. The project design and the methods adopted for a peer-review evaluation of research proposals, and the expected results, are outlined. The initial findings from the various research units are briefly mentioned.