About this Research Topic
Tuberculosis (TB), resulting from infection by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a foremost and resurgent worldwide public health problem. Approximately one-third of the world’s population is infected with M. tuberculosis, making this microbe one of the most successful human pathogens. This is, amongst others, attributable to its ability to survive in the host for prolonged periods of time without including any symptoms and its capability to switch between this asymptomatic non-infectious phase and a clinically apparent infectious phase. In recent times, it has been exacerbated by the spread of HIV, which by weakening the immune system allows reactivation of latent disease. Addressing these issues is crucial to control TB. However, interventions that convert an infectious individual into a non-infectious one in the course of the disease are crucial. It would be even better to prevent those who are developing clinical disease from becoming infectious.
To improve the battle againstMycobacterium tuberculosis, we first need to understand the host-pathogen interactions, especially the factors that increase the efficacy of the host immune response, as well as the ones that enables the bacterium to survive within the harsh host environment. The intimate and persistent connection between M. tuberculosis and its human host suggests that the pathogen has evolved extensive mechanisms to evade eradication by the immune system. In particular, the organism has adapted to replicate within phagocytic cells, especially macrophages, which are specialized to kill microbes. If we look back the research of M. tuberculosis during last decade, the means to manipulate both the organism and the host has ushered in an exciting time that has uncovered some of the mechanisms of the innate macrophage-pathogen interactions, even though many interactions likely still await discovery. Second, developing new tools or improving the sensitivity of the ones already existing will help diagnose the disease in patients as early as possible, treat the infected persons, and avoid late-stages disease. Finally, generating a vaccine would avoid millions of people taking long-course antibiotics, thereby decreasing the risk of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis emergence.
In this Research Topic, we welcome articles related to the following sub-themes:
• immune response: what factors improve it?
• bacterial survival: what mechanisms are put in place by the bacteria to survive within the harsh host environment?
• diagnosis: how to optimize and accelerate it?
• treatment: what are the last discoveries on a potential vaccine?
To improve the battle againstMycobacterium tuberculosis, we first need to understand the host-pathogen interactions, especially the factors that increase the efficacy of the host immune response, as well as the ones that enables the bacterium to survive within the harsh host environment. The intimate and persistent connection between M. tuberculosis and its human host suggests that the pathogen has evolved extensive mechanisms to evade eradication by the immune system. In particular, the organism has adapted to replicate within phagocytic cells, especially macrophages, which are specialized to kill microbes. If we look back the research of M. tuberculosis during last decade, the means to manipulate both the organism and the host has ushered in an exciting time that has uncovered some of the mechanisms of the innate macrophage-pathogen interactions, even though many interactions likely still await discovery. Second, developing new tools or improving the sensitivity of the ones already existing will help diagnose the disease in patients as early as possible, treat the infected persons, and avoid late-stages disease. Finally, generating a vaccine would avoid millions of people taking long-course antibiotics, thereby decreasing the risk of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis emergence.
In this Research Topic, we welcome articles related to the following sub-themes:
• immune response: what factors improve it?
• bacterial survival: what mechanisms are put in place by the bacteria to survive within the harsh host environment?
• diagnosis: how to optimize and accelerate it?
• treatment: what are the last discoveries on a potential vaccine?
Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, immune response, bacterial survival, treatment, vaccine
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