The review analyzes the history of emergence of M. tuberculosis as a species of human pathogenic microorganism. The properties of the Beijing genotype of M. tuberculosis as the basic family responsible for the current pandemic are described. An attempt is made to compare an update on the molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis with the main points of the theory of self-regulation of parasitic systems. By using the human DC-SIGN gene as an example, the authors discuss whether tuberculosis infection, that with the Beijing family in particular, as a factor of natural selection may have an impact on the genetic polymorphism of a human population.