Soon, patients won't have to wait for days or weeks on end to find out whether they have tuberculosis or TB — Mumbai-based Haffkine Institute is now in the final stages of testing a new protocol that will deliver the results within an hour. In the fight against TB, an early diagnosis is often half the battle won. It is a contagious infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which usually attacks the lungs. It can also spread to other parts of the body, like the brain and spine, and can prove fatal in extreme cases.'