Tuberculosis News and Research

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Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection caused by a germ called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but they can also damage other parts of the body. TB spreads through the air when a person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes or talks. If you think you have been exposed, you should go to your doctor for tests as soon as possible. You are more likely to get TB if you have a weak immune system.

Two types of immune cells interact to give natural protection from tuberculosis

A new study has uncovered the role of B and T cells in controlling tuberculosis (TB) infections.

3 Apr 2023

Cocklebur fruit shows potential to protect the skin and help enhance collagen production

The fruit of the cocklebur plant, which grows worldwide and is often considered a noxious weed, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory components that could make it useful as a skin protectant, according to new research.

29 Mar 2023

Immune system’s aptitude in reducing reliance on antibiotics for treating infections

The removal of obsolete and damaged cell components by the body is crucial for fighting diseases like tuberculosis (TB), which establish themselves inside human cells, according to researchers from the Francis Crick Institute.

27 Mar 2023

Novel technology easily detects active Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection antibodies

A team of faculty from Wayne State University has discovered new technology that will quickly and easily detect active Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infection antibodies.

14 Mar 2023

Developing new therapies that leverage the host immune system

Yersinia bacteria cause a variety of human and animal diseases, the most notorious being the plague, caused by Yersinia pestis. A relative, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, causes gastrointestinal illness and is less deadly but naturally infects both mice and humans, making it a useful model for studying its interactions with the immune system.

14 Mar 2023

Researchers discover how specific mutation in a bacterium results in phage resistance

As antibacterial resistance continues to render obsolete the use of some antibiotics, some have turned to bacteria-killing viruses to treat acute infections as well as some chronic illnesses.

7 Mar 2023

Innovative method to quickly identify bacteria in fluids

Shine a laser on a drop of blood, mucus, or wastewater, and the light reflecting back can be used to positively identify bacteria in the sample.

3 Mar 2023

Novel framework provides solutions to evade detoxification networks

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have demonstrated how drug makers can avoid two key problems: toxicity and resistance. The researchers made slight changes to a small molecule to reduce its metabolism and elimination by the cellular detoxification network regulated by the pregnane X receptor (PXR). This research provides a framework to develop solutions to the long-standing issue of how to evade detoxification networks using medicinal chemistry. The findings were published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

1 Mar 2023

Earthquakes pose severe long-term impacts on the health of Syrian refugees

Among those in greatest peril after the devasting earthquakes in the Middle East are some 6.6 million internally displaced persons in Syria, as well as 1.9 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey, according to estimations from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

24 Feb 2023

New puzzle challenge taps into the intelligence of Eterna’s users to advance RNA therapeutics

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz working to develop novel RNA-based medicines are teaming up with a new group of collaborators-;players of the online game Eterna.

22 Feb 2023

AutoPLP helps detect mutating pathogenic variants quickly and accurately

As we now know from our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, the microbes responsible for some infections can rapidly mutate into variants that evade detection and treatment.

16 Feb 2023

Study reveals how two proteins enable drug-resistant MRSA bacterium to secrete toxins

Antimicrobial resistance represents one of the top 10 global public health threats according to the World Health Organization, and scientists have been scrambling to find new tools to cure the most deadly drug-resistant infections.

14 Feb 2023

Clinically approved fungal vaccine protects against fungal infections

A new vaccine developed by the University of Georgia might be the first clinically approved immunization to safeguard against invasive fungal infections, which are becoming more common as antifungal drug resistance grows.

From University of Georgia 1 Feb 2023

Novel chemical tool reveals how bacteria adapt to the host environment

A research team guided by Professor Xiang David Li of The University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) Department of Chemistry created a new chemical tool to unveil how bacteria adjust to the host environment and control host cells.

1 Feb 2023

Evolution of mint plants' chemistry could lead to new medicines, pesticides

The mint family of herbs, which includes sage, rosemary, basil, and even woody plants like teak, offers an invigorating jolt to our senses of smell and taste.

27 Jan 2023

Detecting the extent of natural selection over time

Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, the CNRS, and the Collège de France researchers have employed paleogenomics to trace 10,000 years of human immune system evolution. They examined the genomes of over 2,800 individuals who lived in Europe over the past 10 millennia.

From Institut Pasteur 18 Jan 2023

New DNA analysis leads to first accurate tuberculosis genome identification

A novel genome assembly tool that has been created by researchers could lead to the creation of fresh antibiotics for the bacterial infections that cause tuberculosis and other diseases.

From Rutgers University 20 Dec 2022

Delicate strategy employed by pathogens to suppress pyroptosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB), continues to be a major infectious threat to global public health.

18 Oct 2022

Researchers discover antibiotic resistance genes in M. tuberculosis

More than 10,000 different Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria isolated from 23 different countries were subjected to a thorough investigation, which uncovered new genes linked to resistance to 13 first- and second-line novel and repurposed medicines.

11 Aug 2022

Genetic mutations allow great development of TB-causing bacteria

According to a study published today in eLife, scientists found how the bacterium that induces tuberculosis (TB) could quickly adapt in response to new environments.

27 Jun 2022