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.

Tuberculosis causes early epigenetic aging in cells, study finds

In the current study, scientists at Baylor College of Medicine identified that the cells of humans and animals that recovered from tuberculosis had prematurely aged up to 12 to 14 years.

25 Mar 2022

Improving the long-term effectiveness of TB vaccine in mice

Briefly blocking a key molecule when administering the only approved vaccine for tuberculosis vastly improves long-term protection against the devastating disease in mice, researchers from Texas Biomedical Research Institute report this week in the Journal of Immunology.

14 Mar 2022

Ancient DNA research tracks tuberculosis transmission chains

Tuberculosis is the second most common cause of death worldwide by an infectious pathogen after Covid-19, but many aspects of its long history with humans remain controversial.

From The Max Planck Institute 11 Mar 2022

Understanding mutational bias helps scientists predict how pathogens develop resistance to drugs

Genetic mutations help certain people succeed in the face of natural selection.

21 Feb 2022

Study findings open new avenues for research into host-directed therapies for TB

A*STAR’s GIS and ID Labs have discovered KCNJ15, a gene linked to the human immune system’s ability to combat TB and maybe other infectious diseases.

18 Feb 2022

Intracellular pathogens trick the host’s immune system to evade destruction

A signaling mechanism that enables bacteria like Salmonella to escape destruction by the immune system of the host was discovered by scientists.

From The University of California, Davis 14 Feb 2022

Scientists design an open microfluidic system for excellent recovery of purified DNA

In the war against cancer, the first step towards treating them is an accurate diagnosis of the problem. A technique that helps plan a better course of treatment is a biopsy.

7 Feb 2022

Scientists visualize protein machinery of respiration with unparalleled precision

Oxygen and sugar are the basis of life for animals, plants, fungi and many bacteria. The metabolic process called respiration makes it possible to convert food into energy for the cells.

1 Feb 2022

New group of molecules that have an antibacterial effect identified

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Umeå University, and the University of Bonn have identified a new group of molecules that have an antibacterial effect against many antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

18 Nov 2021

Researchers map proteo-genomic connections between different human diseases

Hundreds of connections between different human diseases have been uncovered through their shared origin in our genome by an international research team led by scientists from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, challenging the categorisation of diseases by organ, symptoms, or clinical speciality.

18 Oct 2021

Researchers develop a novel sensor to detect chemical changes in immune cells

Three chemists from the Indiana University Bloomington developed a novel sensor to identify chemical changes in immune cells at the time of the pathogen breakdown.

13 Oct 2021

Study reveals strong link between infection rates and authoritarian attitudes, governance

According to psychologists, in addition to our physiological immune system, we also have a behavioral one: an unconscious code of conduct that helps us stay disease-free, including fear and avoidance of unfamiliar - and so possibly infected - people.

22 Sep 2021

Combining bacteriophages with antibiotics to treat antibiotic-resistant infections

Mycobacterium abscessus, a relative of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis and leprosy, is responsible for particularly severe damage to human lungs and can be resistant to many standard antibiotics, making infections extremely challenging to treat.

17 Sep 2021

Cell-analysis method could pave the way for new strategies to fight tuberculosis

A new method that analyzes how individual immune cells react to the bacteria that cause tuberculosis could pave the way for new vaccine strategies against this deadly disease, and provide insights into fighting other infectious diseases around the world.

23 Jul 2021

Researchers suggest new strategies for finding drugs that neutralize key enzymes

Scientists from the UK's University of Bath explore racemases - an important type of enzyme that is linked to certain cancers and other life-threatening diseases while also being critical to cell function - in a paper published in the prestigious journal Chemical Society Reviews. The scientists also propose new strategies for finding drugs that neutralize these enzymes.

From University of Bath 26 May 2021

Study shows metabolic pathways by which Mycobacterium tuberculosis consumes its favorite nutrients

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is remarkable because it can live in the human host for decades.

From University of Surrey 13 May 2021

Scientists discover how immune response to TB differs in adults and newborn babies

The immune response to tuberculosis (TB) differs in adults and newborn babies due to the way immune cells use energy to kick into gear in a bid to kill the bacteria. This fresh discovery - just published in leading journal, Frontiers in Immunology - offers hope for improving treatments for what remains a deadly disease.

15 Apr 2021

Study explains molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

A group of researchers from France, Germany, Belarus, Japan, and Russia and headed by a scientist from Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) has discovered how Mycobacterium tuberculosis survives in iron-deficient environments by using rubredoxin B (RubB)—a protein that belongs to the rubredoxin family and plays a significant role in adapting to varying environmental conditions.

9 Apr 2021

Revealing clues about the immune system through ancient DNA

AZoLifeSciences speaks to Dr. Gaspard Kerner about tuberculosis, and how ancient DNA could help us to further understand the immune system.

From Institut Pasteur 12 Mar 2021

New drug target identified for antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Scientists have discovered a key mechanism that enables dangerous bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.

9 Mar 2021