Tuberculosis

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.

What is Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a dreaded bacterial infection. It has been known to mankind since ancient ages. It was commonly called “consumption” at the turn of the last century because of the way the disease seemed to “consume” the individual it affected.

How Has The COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Tuberculosis Eradication?

Tuberculosis Causes

Tuberculosis Diagnosis

Tuberculosis Prevention

Tuberculosis Screening

Tuberculosis Treatment

Tuberculosis Prognosis

History of Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis in Animals

Tuberculosis Transmission

New tuberculosis technologies: importance of access in the private health sector

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What is the END TB Strategy?

Latest Tuberculosis News and Research

Dextromethorphan found to have potential in treating lung fibrosis

A common over-the-counter ingredient in many cough syrups may have a greater purpose for people suffering from lung fibrosis that is related to any number of serious health conditions.

22 Dec 2024

Cough syrup ingredient may help combat lung fibrosis

A common over-the-counter ingredient in many cough syrups may have a greater purpose for people suffering from lung fibrosis that is related to any number of serious health conditions.

18 Dec 2024

Syphilis family traced to Pre-Columbian Americas

In spring 1495, the Italian campaign of Charles VIII of France was interrupted by an intense outbreak of an apparently unknown illness – a disease of high mortality that quickly engulfed the whole of Europe and left its survivors with life changing impairments to their bodies and minds.

18 Dec 2024

New molecular imaging agent can accurately identify crucial cancer biomarker

A new molecular imaging agent can accurately identify a crucial biomarker found among many different types of cancer.

18 Dec 2024

Unraveling the mystery of drug-induced liver injury

DILI is broadly categorized into intrinsic and idiosyncratic types. Intrinsic hepatotoxins, such as APAP, cause dose-dependent injury, while idiosyncratic DILI involves complex immune and metabolic interactions that remain poorly understood.

13 Dec 2024

Genetic factors increase prostate cancer risk for African men

Early testing is key to addressing the rise in cases of prostate cancer in Africa - and it doesn't have to be an invasive procedure.

6 Dec 2024

WHO grants prequalification to molecular diagnostic test for tuberculosis

The World Health Organization (WHO) has granted prequalification to the molecular diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB) called Xpert® MTB/RIF Ultra.

5 Dec 2024

Key risk factors influencing mortality rates in chronic pulmonary aspergillosis patients

A systematic review reveals chronic pulmonary aspergillosis mortality is driven by age and underlying conditions, highlighting the need for targeted therapies.

3 Dec 2024

Minority genetic variation in tuberculosis offers new insights for improving outbreak tracking

Findings show that within-host MTBC variation improves transmission inference, suggesting new strategies for understanding and controlling tuberculosis spread.

2 Dec 2024

Quabodepistat combo shows promise for safer, faster tuberculosis treatment

Study highlights the safety and early bactericidal activity of quabodepistat when combined with delamanid, bedaquiline, or both, offering potential for shorter and more tolerable tuberculosis treatment regimens.

1 Dec 2024

Bacteria modify their ribosomes in response to the antibiotics

Bacteria modify their ribosomes when exposed to widely used antibiotics, according to research published today in Nature Communications. The subtle changes might be enough to alter the binding site of drug targets and constitute a possible new mechanism of antibiotic resistance.

29 Nov 2024

Ex-eye bank workers say pressure, lax oversight led to errors

William Lopez remembers clearly the day in June 2017 when he says he was asked to call the spouse of a college friend who had just died and ask for her eyes.

20 Nov 2024

Global analysis highlights antibiotic consumption trends and AMR threat

A new study highlights recent, but fluctuating, growth in global human antibiotic consumption, one of the main drivers of growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

19 Nov 2024

Study provides insights into trends and disparities of neonatal infectious diseases in LMICs

Researchers from Peking University have conducted an in-depth study on the epidemic status, secular trends, and risk factors of 15 common neonatal infectious diseases across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 1990 to 2019.

19 Nov 2024

TB pathogen's surprising growth mechanism challenges bacterial biology

The rod-shaped tuberculosis (TB) bacterium, which the World Health Organization has once again ranked as the top infectious disease killer globally, is the first single-celled organism ever observed to maintain a consistent growth rate throughout its life cycle.

15 Nov 2024

Study finds weakness in drug-resistant tuberculosis pathogens

A University of Otago-led study has found highly vulnerable weakness in drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, offering a new way to kill them.

13 Nov 2024

Rutgers study sheds light on how bedaquiline fights drug-resistant tuberculosis

Rutgers Health research has uncovered why a relatively new antibiotic for tuberculosis (TB) works against multidrug-resistant strains, potentially inspiring improved treatments and drug development strategies.

13 Nov 2024

Metagenomic sequencing improves detection of rare pathogens in CNS infections

New research shows that metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) over seven years increased pathogen detection in challenging CNS infections, identifying rare and unexpected microbes often missed by standard testing.

13 Nov 2024

WHO report highlights surge in TB cases and deaths in 2023

The highest number of tuberculosis (TB) cases since global monitoring began were recorded in 2023, according to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO).

6 Nov 2024

Deciphering the mechanisms of immune response with probabilistic graphical networks

Over the past two decades, new technologies have helped scientists generate a vast amount of biological data. Large-scale experiments in genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and cytometry can produce enormous quantities of data from a given cellular or multicellular system.

5 Nov 2024