- Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Those who are exposed to the TB bacteria but have not become sick are said to have latent TB. Many people with latent TB will not get sick from it, but some people will develop active TB and become sick. Much is known about how to treat and diagnose active TB, but little is known about the best way to treat latent TB. Researchers also want to know more about the risk that latent TB will develop into active TB, and whether it is possible to test for this risk.