Latest Mycobacterium tuberculosis Stories

Press release from PLoS MedicineTwo research studies in this week's PLoS Medicine suggest that a new automated DNA test for tuberculosis (Xpert MTB/RIF), which can detect TB within 2 hours and has been endorsed by the World Health Organization, can significantly increase TB detection rate compared to other tests, particularly in HIV positive patients who have a high risk of being infected with TB, including multidrug resistant TB. An accompanying Essay and Perspective highlight the economic...

The discovery of two genes that encode copper- and sulfur-binding repressors in the hospital terror Staphylococcus aureus means two new potential avenues for controlling the increasingly drug-resistant bacterium, scientists say in the April 15, 2011 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry."We need to come up with new targets for antibacterial agents," said Indiana University Bloomington biochemist David Giedroc, who led the project. "Staph is becoming more and more...

The realization of medically treating different children uniquely may start with one of the deadliest diseases in existence: tuberculosis. New findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers indicate that the type of medications and the dosage routinely used to treat children with the disease should be individualized to each young patient in order to be effective.The findings, available online and in the February issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, show that currently...

A team of researchers from Spain and Latin America have synthesized two iron compounds that inhibit the in vitro growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. Due their low level of toxicity in mammel cells, the compounds could be used in the future as therapeutic agents and hospital disinfectants.A group of researchers from the Universidad de Navarra (Spain), the Universidad de la República (Uruguay), the Universidad de São Paulo (Brazil) and the...

New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that CCL5 protects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis by attracting protective immune cells, which help control bacterial growthOhio scientists hope to counter the re-emerging threat of tuberculosis (TB) with help from proteins from our bodies. In a research report published in the June 2010 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (http://www.jleukbio.org), scientists show how the protein CCL5 plays a protective role...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) possesses extraordinary survival ability by masking itself from the host immune system and persisting for decades inside the host. Speaking at the Society for General Microbiology's spring meeting in Edinburgh on March 31, Dr Kristine Arnvig provided further insight into how the bacterium causes tuberculosis (TB) by fine-tuning its behavior in response to its surroundings to escape detection.Understanding the genetic tools and tricks used by Mtb to control its...

FORT LEE, N.J., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- A new breath test can detect active pulmonary tuberculosis, according to a report to be published in the journal "Tuberculosis." "The breath test was 85% accurate in detecting patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis," said Dr. Michael Phillips, developer of the breath test and CEO of Menssana Research, Inc based in Fort Lee, NJ. The National Institutes of Health funded the study of 226 patients in San Diego, London and the Philippines. Dr....

Researchers at Iowa State University have identified an enzyme that helps make tuberculosis resistant to a human's natural defense system. Researchers have also found a method to possibly neutralize that enzyme, which may someday lead to a cure for tuberculosis.Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is a contagious disease that is on the rise, killing 1.5 to 2 million people worldwide annually.Reuben Peters, associate professor in the department of biochemistry, biophysics...

Active tuberculosis can be rapidly identified in patients with negative sputum tests by a new method, according to European researchers. Active tuberculosis (TB) is the seventh-leading cause of death worldwide, and while the diagnosis of active TB can be rapidly established when the bacteria can be identified on sputum microscopy, in about half of all cases, the TB bacterium cannot be detected, making another diagnostic option critical in efforts to control the spread of TB.The findings from...

Collaboration will focus on the development of TMC207 and the discovery of new drugs to treat tuberculosis SEATTLE, June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- A new landmark collaboration between the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), a not-for-profit, product development partnership, and Tibotec Inc., (Tibotec), a global pharmaceutical company, has been announced today at the Pacific Health Summit in response to the urgent need to accelerate the discovery and development of new drugs to...