Articles tagged with Tuberculosis
Researchers develop 'release and kill' strategy to target M. tuberculosis in infected macrophages, potentially shortening TB treatment periods. The approach leverages selective apoptosis to release the bacteria from infected cells, making them susceptible to antibiotics.
Researchers have developed a new 3D system to study human infection in the laboratory, allowing them to investigate what happens in a human body when TB develops. The 3D sphere model enables antibiotics that are important for treating patients to kill the infection, speeding up the process of finding treatments and vaccines.
Scientists at Rockefeller University have developed a detailed analysis of RNA polymerase, crucial to all cells, which is targeted by the antibiotic rifampicin. The study identifies potential strategies for new drugs that can effectively combat resistant TB strains.
A mathematical model of bovine tuberculosis transmission from cattle to cattle and cattle to humans was used to analyze the cost and effectiveness of interventions in Morocco. The results showed that using a more conservative cutoff for a positive skin test could lead to cheaper and quicker elimination of the disease.
Researchers have identified a key gene called NucS that reduces mutation rates in mycobacteria, the infectious microbe causing tuberculosis. This discovery has important implications for understanding antibiotic resistance and could help predict and prevent the development of drug-resistant TB strains.
A study published in PLOS Pathogens suggests that proteins produced by the toxoplasmosis parasite may play a role in developing host-directed tuberculosis therapies. The researchers found that these proteins interact with human proteins to activate anti-tuberculosis defense mechanisms.
A new approach to treating tuberculosis could significantly reduce treatment time and improve patient outcomes. Researchers identified an effective four-drug regimen that kills TB bacteria in the lungs and cures mice up to four times faster than current treatments.
Researchers discovered that Mycobacterium tuberculosis reprograms infected cells to feed on lipids and membranes, leading to new treatment opportunities. The study provides a promising lead in tackling the disease by starving the bacterium of its preferred high-fat food source.
A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) is spread through person-to-person contact in the KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. This epidemic highlights the need for effective infection control and treatment measures to prevent further spread.
A new report calls for improved fungal disease diagnosis to reduce antibiotic resistance. Inadequate attention to fungal infections leads to overprescription of antibiotics, resulting in harmful resistance and increased healthcare costs. The report highlights four clinical situations where fungal disease misdiagnosis worsens the problem.
A new TB vaccine using biobeads to present antigens from the tuberculosis bacterium has shown promising results in mice. The vaccine is designed to induce cell-mediated immune responses and could potentially provide protective immunity against TB.
Researchers have identified a protein called Smurf1 that plays a crucial role in the immune system's ability to recognize and destroy tuberculosis bacteria. This discovery could lead to the development of new treatments by strengthening this immune pathway.
Pediatric tuberculosis remains a concern in Canada, particularly among Aboriginal communities and children from endemic countries. Effective treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach, including clinicians, nurses, and social workers.
Dutch clinicians have developed a personalized dosing strategy for treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, reducing hearing loss from 40% to 10%. By monitoring drug concentrations and effectiveness, they were able to decrease doses without compromising efficacy.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis accelerate immune response to tuberculosis in mice by activating dendritic cells, leading to near-sterilizing immunity levels. The study could lead to improved TB vaccines for humans, addressing the variable protection provided by current BCG vaccine.
A centuries-old herbal medicine, artemisinin, has been found to stop TB-causing bacteria from becoming dormant, making them more sensitive to antibiotics. This could shorten treatment times and improve patient outcomes.
Scientists have discovered a mechanism that hijacks the human immune system's response to tuberculosis, revealing a key protein that turns off the call for an immune response. The protein CdnP is now considered an attractive target for a new TB drug.
A computer simulation developed by Johns Hopkins researchers helps predict the potential impact of a new short-course treatment regimen for drug-resistant tuberculosis. The model suggests that this regimen could lower MDR-TB incidence in Southeast Asia by 23% over eight years, potentially averting over 100,000 cases annually.
Scientists have discovered how the human immune system targets Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes TB. The study provides key insight into how the immune system can recognize TB-infected cells, which could lead to the development of new diagnostic tools and novel immunotherapies.
Researchers at Brown University have developed a new compound that can render Mycobacterium tuberculosis susceptible to the immune system. The compound inhibits the bacterial proteasome, making proteins damaged by nitric oxide accumulate and cause bacteria death.
A new study presents a promising treatment for tuberculosis by delivering a commonly used drug to the lungs, which is more effective than oral administration at a fraction of the dose. This approach has the potential to reduce toxicity and improve patient outcomes.
IDRI's TB Discovery Program will focus on developing more effective, cheaper, and faster-acting drugs to combat multi-drug resistant TB strains. The new funding from Eli Lilly will support the screening of over 500,000 compounds in search of potential TB drugs.
A team of scientists analyzed TB bacterial strains and found they can be genetically subdivided into generalists with worldwide distribution and specialists with localized ecological niches. Generalists have a slightly increased diversity of antigens, allowing them to adapt more specifically to different human populations.
A recent study published in BMC Medicine found that the prevalence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in West Africa is significantly higher than previously thought. The study revealed that MDR-TB strains were widely circulating and drug resistance was a much bigger problem in the region than anticipated.
The Critical Path Institute's CPTR initiative and the WHO Global TB Programme partnered to develop quantitative analyses of TB-PACTS database data. The collaboration, called TB-ReFLECT, will extract key lessons and package them as tools for future trial design.
TB research suggests infection causes autoimmunity, where immune system reacts incorrectly to its own lung tissue. This can lead to the bacteria spreading through coughing, making the person highly infectious.
A study published in the American Journal of Pathology reveals that HIV co-infection reduces dendritic cell function, leading to increased tuberculosis risk. The research suggests a new treatment strategy using host-directed therapy to strengthen immune cells.
A new study finds that migrants arriving on visas to the UK from countries at high risk of TB pose a negligible risk of onwards infection, despite being at increased risk of developing TB themselves. Ongoing monitoring and treatment are crucial to continuing the downward trend of TB incidence in the UK.
A new study found that Sutherlandia, a commonly used African botanical supplement, can reduce the effectiveness of isoniazid, a widely used anti-tuberculosis drug. This could lead to active tuberculosis and potentially drug-resistant forms in patients taking both supplements.
A recent study found that cure rates for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Europe are higher than expected, with 61% of patients cured. The study proposes new definitions for 'cure' and 'failure', which may lead to improved treatment outcomes.
A study found consistent differences in antibody structure and function between latent and active TB, which could improve diagnosis and lead to more effective vaccines. The findings also suggest a potential mechanism for controlling TB infection using antibodies.
A big data analysis of over a million cattle and 50,000 badgers found that cattle are primarily infected through other cattle, not badgers. This challenges the long-held assumption that badgers play a key role in spreading TB to cattle.
Cephalosporins have shown promise in treating tuberculosis (TB) through an in vitro study, with the antibiotics demonstrating potent anti-mycobacterial properties when used in synergistic combinations with traditional therapies. The results suggest that these drugs could be part of new combinatorial TB therapies.
Experts suggest outsourcing key tasks from WHO to better-placed agencies to improve effectiveness and attract funding. This approach would utilize external expertise more appropriately, allowing the organization to maintain global leadership while increasing the contribution of other actors.
Recent studies on tuberculosis have yielded conflicting results, leaving questions about the role of the lung microbiome in the disease. The variability in study methods, particularly in sampling techniques, may be a major contributor to these discrepancies.
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for latent tuberculosis infection in people at increased risk due to their birthplace or living history. Treatment of LTBI with CDC-recommended regimens provides a moderate health benefit in preventing disease progression.
Researchers found that a repurposed drug, pirfenidone, increased lung lesions and prevented antibiotics from targeting TB bacteria. The study suggests caution when using host-directed therapies for TB, emphasizing the need for careful vetting of new treatments.
Researchers found that TB lesions can remain in lungs long after treatment with antibiotics has been completed. After six months of treatment, 50 patients still showed radiological abnormalities, indicating persistent TB bacteria.
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends latent TB infection screening in primary care settings, but challenges remain in identifying high-risk patients. Current tools are insufficient to predict progression from latent to active disease, hindering personalized medicine for those with latent TB infection.
Researchers discovered that some monkeys with depleted immune systems still had a second line of defense against tuberculosis, targeting CD8 and B cells. This finding could lead to more effective vaccines for TB, which affects people co-infected with HIV.
Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine receive a $3.7 million NIH grant to identify biomarkers signaling Mtb activity in HIV-infected individuals. The goal is to develop tests that can predict active TB disease progression, optimizing preventive therapy timing and effectiveness.
A new study suggests that the number of tuberculosis cases in India could be up to two to three times higher than current estimates. The research found that many people opt for treatment from private healthcare providers, which usually fail to report TB cases to public health officials.
A simulated patient study sheds light on antibiotic misuse in Indian pharmacies, revealing that only a minority of urban Indian pharmacies correctly managed patients with presumed tuberculosis. The study found that pharmacies frequently dispensed antibiotics to patients presenting with TB symptoms without prescriptions.
The NIH has selected winning teams from a nationwide undergraduate biomedical engineering design competition for their innovative solutions to various healthcare challenges. The designs showcased promising technologies for diagnosing diseases such as tuberculosis and sepsis, with potential to save millions of lives.
A new diagnostic tool for tuberculosis has been developed to simplify, fasten and improve the accuracy of tests. The experimental new test is currently being tested in South Africa.
Scientists have discovered a possible explanation for the high prevalence of Russian tuberculosis strains by analyzing their protein and genome features. The study found that these strains produce more proteins producing long-chain fatty acids and less proteins destroying them, making them more effective at evading the immune system.
The new guidelines recommend comprehensive management of TB, including directly observed therapy, for all TB patients. Prompt initiation of anti-retroviral therapy during TB treatment can save lives.
A study published in eLife found no significant difference in the rate of mutations leading to drug resistance between HIV-positive and negative TB patients. HIV co-infection accelerates the development of active TB but does not increase the evolution of multidrug-resistant strains.
Researchers identified a key role for Vps33B in regulating innate immunity and found exaggerated inflammatory responses in cells lacking the protein. The study suggests potential new therapies for arthrogryposis-renal dysfunction-cholestasis (ARC) syndrome, which is associated with recurrent infections and sepsis.
A promising TB vaccine candidate, Mtb Δppe25-pe19, induces a strong and diverse immune response to all mycobacterial PE/PPE proteins, offering insights into its protective efficacy. Unlike BCG, the new strain has an intact ESX-1 transport system, allowing it to induce phagosomal rupture and provoke innate immune responses.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a new route of entry for the tuberculosis bacteria, suggesting an alternative to traditional inhalation-based transmission. This finding opens up potential avenues for developing new therapies to prevent or treat tuberculosis infection.
The Lancet report highlights how mass imprisonment of drug users is driving global epidemics of HIV, hepatitis, and tuberculosis. Scaling up opioid substitution therapy in prisons and after release could prevent over a quarter of new HIV infections among injecting drug users.
A study reveals that rapid TB tests in West Africa have low accuracy due to the presence of other mycobacterial species like Mycobacterium africanum. The tests miss a substantial fraction of cases, leading to dire consequences for patients and TB control efforts.
A new study found that individual mycobacteria respond differently to antibiotics based on growth and timing, shedding light on the complexity of antibiotic tolerance. Bacteria in different stages of their cell cycle and size are susceptible to varying degrees.
Researchers are investigating genetic variations and unconventional T-cells that enable macrophages to resist Mtb infection in HIV-positive individuals. The study aims to identify biomarkers of resistance and novel approaches to TB vaccine and treatment.
Researchers at Linköping University have discovered that stimulating autophagy can be harmful when trying to treat tuberculosis, highlighting the need for new treatment alternatives. Strengthening immune defense cells like macrophages and dendritic cells may hold promise in controlling tubercule bacilli.
Researchers have developed a new method to detect mycobacterial pathogens directly from patient samples using genetic analysis, reducing detection time to 1-2 days. The new method was found to be equally accurate as traditional culture-based techniques and can also detect resistance to standard medicines.
Researchers used genome sequencing to determine when TB outbreaks ended by analyzing genetic mutations and transmission patterns. The method helped public health officials declare the end of an outbreak in January 2015, after no disease transmission occurred since mid-2012.
Seattle researchers deciphered how tuberculosis bacteria tolerates bedaquiline by silencing regulatory genes or pairing with pretomanid, disrupting tolerance gene networks to improve efficacy. This systems-approach represents a significant advance in the fight against tuberculosis.
The Government of Canada has pledged CA$85 million to support innovations in TB detection and care through the Stop TB Partnership's TB REACH initiative over the next five years. This funding will help reach, treat and cure millions of people affected by TB who lack proper care.