But it's a potential public health catastrophe with the new strain called XDR-TB, for extensively drug resistant tuberculosis.

NPR: TB Traveler Exposes Diagnosis Problems

Treatment options for XDR-TB are limited and can themselves be toxic.

WSJ: Dangerous TB Patient Nabbed On U.S. Border

And that's why people like Lawrence Gostin are rethinking what public health authorities should do about people with suspected XDR-TB in the weeks before the diagnosis is in.

NPR: TB Traveler Exposes Diagnosis Problems

XDR-TB is a particularly dangerous form of the disease that is resistant not only to the two most potent TB drugs, but also a handful of second-line drugs.

WSJ: Dangerous TB Patient Nabbed On U.S. Border

But experts agree the number of XDR-TB cases is growing.

NPR: TB Traveler Exposes Diagnosis Problems

To further cut costs, Sony is also said to be considering a switch from the speedy Rambus XDR memory to more traditional DDR3 memory, which could apparently be tied directly to the processor to cut down on latency.

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For confirmed XDR-TB, in which the bacterium is resistant to the most potent first- and second-line TB medicines, the WHO recommends that a proper combination of any medicine left among those available, dictated by knowledge of susceptibility, should be used.

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"XDR is hugely difficult, " he said.

WSJ: Dangerous TB Patient Nabbed On U.S. Border