Scientists identify gene that may make humans more vulnerable to pulmonary tuberculosis

October 10, 2008

Studies also reveal that males are more likely to contract the disease

Researchers from the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and its collaborators have now identified for the first time a new gene that may confer susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis. Their findings, published October 10 in the open access journal PLoS Genetics, reported that a gene named Toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8), previously shown only to recognize some factors from viruses such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has a probable role in human susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections. The results from the study also found that males are more susceptible than females.

Pulmonary tuberculosis is a contagious lung disease caused by a bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). Although a third of the world population is infected with M. tuberculosis, only 5 - 10% of them will ever develop tuberculosis, giving rise to a proposition that there may be a difference in genetic variants within the genes involved in host immune response.

Dr Sonia Davila, Research Scientist at the GIS and first author of the article, said, "We are really excited about this discovery as it is the first time TLR8 has been implicated in bacteria infections. Our analysis of the results from cohort studies in Indonesia and Russia suggested that susceptibility was attributed to genetic variants of TLR8, which is located at the X chromosome. Males carrying only one copy of the gene could have a higher chance of suffering from the disease. These findings open up a whole new area of research and we hope that it will increase our understanding of the disease process of pulmonary tuberculosis." GIS Senior Group Leader and Associate Director of Infectious Diseases, Dr Martin Hibberd added, "This project is a great example of international teams coming together to solve a difficult problem, with groups from Indonesia, Singapore, the UK, Russia and the Netherlands playing important roles. We hope that this work can initiate further research that will make a difference to people suffering from TB".

"The team from the Genome Institute led by Drs Davila, Seielstad and Hibberd has made an important new discovery of an alternative cellular receptor for one of the world's most important infectious agents, M. tuberculosis, the causative agent of TB," said Assistant Professor Paul MacAry, from the National University of Singapore Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering. "The identification of a role for TLR8 in TB infection has the potential to open up new areas of exploration in TB host/pathogen interactions and provide researchers and clinician scientists with novel targets for therapeutic intervention. This is extremely important given the emergence of multi-drug resistant strains of M.tuberculosis that are refractive to current treatment regimes."

http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1000218

Public Library of Science

---

---

	Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Its Pathology, Nature, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Prognosis, Causes, Hygiene, And Medical Treatment by Addison Porter Dutcher (Author)
	Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Its Modern and Specialized Treatment: With a Brief Account of the Methods of Study and Treatment at the Henry Phipps Institute of Philadelphia by Albert Philip Francine (Author) This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
	A Color Atlas of Comparative Pathology of Pulmonary Tuberculosis by Franz Joel Leong (Editor), Veronique Dartois (Editor), Thomas Dick (Editor) An annual death toll of 2 million, coupled with rising drug resistance, highlights the need for the development of new drugs, better diagnostics, and a tuberculosis (TB) vaccine. Addressing these key issues, A Color Atlas of Comparative Pathology of Pulmonary Tuberculosis introduces TB histopathology to the non-histopathologists, students, scientists, and doctors working, learning, and teaching in the field of TB. It contains 100 color photographs and illustrations that bring clarity to the information presented. The atlas takes the unusual approach of covering multiple species histopathology, arguably the first and quite possibly the only resource to do so. It provides a simple, annotated, and visual presentation of the comparative histopathology of TB in human and animal models. The...
	Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Journey Down the Centuries by Robert Young Keers (Author)
	Quinolones in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Management by Lascolea (Author) This state-of-the-art reference provides detailed information on the use of quinolone antibiotics and other antibiotic regimens in the management of pulmonary tuberculosis-offering in-depth coverage of the history, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, immunopathology, and immunotherapy of tuberculosis for the nonspecialist. Covering all major topics related to tuberculosis infection, Quinolones in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Management · discusses tuberculosis therapies for various patient populations such as AIDS patients, children, pregnant women, and the elderly · examines initial drug regimens to treat tuberculosis · presents specific information on how to deal with multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis · evaluates the tuberculosis skin test · analyzes how to reduce...
	Rules for Recovery From Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Layman's Handbook of Treatment [1919 ] by Lawrason Brown (Author) Originally published in 1919. This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies. All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume.
	The Relation Of Climate To The Treatment Of Pulmonary Tuberculosis (1910) by Frederick Charles Smith (Author) This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.
	Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis by Moses J. and Dufault, Paul Stone (Author)
	Pathogenesis of Human Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Insights from the Rabbit Model by Arthur M., Jr., Ph.D. Dannenberg (Author) This book provides in-depth insights into the pathogenesis of human tuberculosis and can serve as both a guide for future research and for the treatment of the disease. It covers the seminal work of Max B. Lurie in the rabbit model of tuberculosis, and the work of the author, who continued to research using the rabbit model after Lurie's death in 1966. updates Lurie's last work that was published in 1964 covering tuberculosis in the rabbit model offers an authoritative account of the current research using the rabbit model presents the pathogenesis of tuberculosis from the inhalation of the bacillus to a fully developed disease and its various manifestations details the key principles of tuberculosis pathogenesis illustrations the pathology of human disease using images from the...
	Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Manual for Physicians 3rd Edition by National Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association (Author)