Metabolism is a widely recognized facet of all host-pathogen interactions. Knowledge of its roles in pathogenesis, however, remains comparatively incomplete. Existing studies have emphasized metabolism as a cell autonomous property of pathogens used to fuel replication in a quantitative, rather than qualitatively specific, manner. For Mycobacterium tuberculosis, however, matters could…
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a major human pathogen and the causative agent for the pulmonary disease, tuberculosis (TB). Current treatment programs to combat TB are under threat due to the emergence of multi-drug and extensively-drug resistant TB. Through the use of high throughput whole cell screening of an extensive compound library…
The glyoxylate shunt plays an important role in fatty acid metabolism and has been shown to be critical to survival of several pathogens involved in chronic infections. For Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), a strain with a defective glyoxylate shunt was previously shown to be unable to establish infection in a mouse…
In drug development, there are typically a series of preclinical studies that must be completed with new compounds or regimens before use in humans. A sequence of in vitro assays followed by in vivo testing in validated animal models to assess the activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, pharmacology and toxicity is…
Reduction of active disease by preventive therapy has the potential to make an important contribution towards the goal of tuberculosis (TB) elimination. This report summarises discussions amongst a Working Group convened to consider areas of research that will be important in optimising the design and delivery of preventative therapies. The…
Cyanovirin-N (CV-N) is a mannose-binding lectin that inhibits HIV-1 infection by blocking mannose-dependent target cell entry via C-type lectins. Like HIV-1, Mycobacterium tuberculosis expresses mannosylated surface structures and exploits C-type lectins to gain cell access. In this study, we investigated whether CV-N, like HIV-1, can inhibit M. tuberculosis infection. We…
Targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli in low-oxygen microenvironments, such as caseous granulomas, has been hypothesized to have the potential to shorten therapy for active tuberculosis (TB) and prevent reactivation of latent infection. We previously reported that upon low-dose M. tuberculosis infection, equal proportions of cynomolgus macaques develop active disease or latent…
