Tuberculosis: Just the FAQs

Abstract

Tuberculosis is responsible for more deaths worldwide than any other infectious disease. For anyone looking to learn more about this persistent public health threat, this conversational “frequently asked questions” style review addresses a breadth of questions. It offers a brief, somewhat opinionated, review of what is and is not known, particularly in light of how findings in the lab do or do not help inform the understanding of human tuberculosis.

NTM drug discovery: status, gaps and the way forward

“…This increased drug tolerance is also termed ‘phenotypic drug resistance’ to distinguish this phenomenon from drug resistance due to genetic alterations. In TB, several conditions, including intracellular and caseum growth, and quiescent states linked to oxygen or nutrient starvation, have been associated with phenotypic drug resistance of the bacilli [98,99]. Considering similarities between NTM and TB pathology in pulmonary diseases, the same factors are likely to contribute to the persistence of NTM infections despite extensive chemotherapy.…”

Cathepsins in Bacteria-Macrophage Interaction: Defenders or Victims of Circumstance?

“…M. tuberculosis, a poorly Gram-positive bacillus, is the etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB), which is the single leading cause of deaths worldwide, especially among HIV-infected people (Guinn and Rubin, 2017). The most common form of infection affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but it can also affect lymph nodes, bones, brain, spine or other parts of the body (extrapulmonary TB).…”

Can systems immunology lead tuberculosis eradication?

“…The long road towards the alveoli (1). The interaction at the alveoli (2). The onset of the granuloma, which depending on the infiltration percentage of PMNs can be identified as proliferative (3) or exudative (4) when it is low or high, respectively.…”

“…Although there was a significant increase in new information in the last years because of the entrance of omics, it remains unclear how to interpret and use such information for the understanding of key questions. The last review on TB FAQS [2] is a clear and strong declaration of humility around the issue, showing up to which degree of ignorance we are still immersed since 1993, when World Health Organization declared for the first time in the history a Global Emergency linked to a sole infectious disease. This lack of knowledge and capability for giving response to these questions is the explanation for the current feeling of "trap" in which we are immerse, to the extreme that we are not ashamed to publicly declare that we are searching a "pink swan" [3].…”