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

New smell technology may open doors for medical diagnostics

Although smell has historically played an important role in the fight against diseases such as the plague and tuberculosis, the human nose is generally not sensitive enough to be used as a reliable diagnostic tool.

21 Oct 2024

Report outlines path to halve premature deaths by 2050

Since 1970, 37 countries have cut the probability of their citizens dying before they reach age 70 in half, a milestone that signals the remarkable progress many countries have made in preventing and treating disease.

14 Oct 2024

Researchers uncover mechanism of protein GBP1 in immune defense

The protein GBP1 is a vital component of our body's natural defence against pathogens. This substance fights against bacteria and parasites by enveloping them in a protein coat, but how the substance manages to do this has remained unknown until now.

12 Oct 2024

Harnessing neural networks to forecast treatment outcomes in small cell lung cancer

As immunotherapy makes breakthrough progress in the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), predicting treatment outcomes has become a focal point in clinical practice. Immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has been approved as first-line therapy for small cell lung cancer due to its survival benefit in randomized controlled trials.

12 Oct 2024

New study reveals unique metabolic function of lung-resident NK immune cells

Trinity College Dublin researchers, based at St James's Hospital have provided important insights into the behavior and metabolic function of a previously largely unknown, but crucial 'natural killer' (NK) immune cell resident in the lungs.

12 Oct 2024

New cell culture model sheds light on immune protein's role in infectious diseases

A human cell culture model of the lung's most important immune cells, alveolar macrophages, helped make a key finding that is prompting researchers to rethink the role of another immune protein in infectious disease.

10 Oct 2024

WHO report highlights the role of vaccines in reducing antibiotic use

A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) finds that vaccines against 24 pathogens could reduce the number of antibiotics needed by 22% or 2.5 billion defined daily doses globally every year, supporting worldwide efforts to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

10 Oct 2024

Happening in Springfield: New immigrants offer economic promise, health system challenges

When Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance claimed Haitian immigrants had caused infectious-disease rates to "skyrocket" in Springfield, Ohio, local health commissioner Chris Cook checked the records.

10 Oct 2024

Modified bloodroot compound shows promise against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

A modified compound taken from bloodroot, a wildflower native to North America, effectively fights multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in the test tube, according to a new study.

8 Oct 2024

UMass Amherst researcher receives $2.2 million grant to study tuberculosis response

The National Institutes of Health recently awarded $2.2 million to Alissa Rothchild, assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an expert in tuberculosis (TB) immunology, to study the very first cells that respond to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacteria causing TB.

7 Oct 2024

Novel semi-synthetic compound shows promise against drug-resistant tuberculosis

A new study published in the American Society for Microbiology journal Microbiology Spectrum demonstrates that a novel semi-synthetic compound can be derived from natural compounds to produce potent activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, including multi-drug resistant strains.

3 Oct 2024

Scientists identify gut microbial signatures that distinguish diseases and predict health states

Study reveals significant gut microbial differences across diseases in the Chinese population, identifying universal microbial signatures that could predict disease states with high accuracy.

2 Oct 2024

New mechanism uncovered behind immune decline after tuberculosis treatment

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions have discovered a mechanism that drives the long-term decline in immune response that is observed after tuberculosis (TB) has been successfully treated.

1 Oct 2024

Macrophage memory following COVID infection provides cross-virus protection

More than 200 viruses can infect and cause disease in humans; most of us will be infected by several over the course of a lifetime.

30 Sep 2024

New breath-based test for lower respiratory tract infections shows 100% sensitivity in critical care settings

Researchers have developed a breath-based in vitro assay that accurately detects lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) by measuring neutrophil elastase activity. This non-invasive test offers high diagnostic sensitivity and could revolutionize LRTI detection.

29 Sep 2024

Global leaders unite to tackle drug-resistant bacteria

World leaders meeting in New York have backed a new set of goals and pledged to find US$100 million in funding to address the problem of drug-resistant bacteria, a global crisis that is all the more acute in the poorest countries.

27 Sep 2024

Study reveals gaps in outbreak detection resources in Asia

A landmark study led by Duke-NUS Medical School revealed that despite the recent pandemic, outbreak detection efforts remain under-resourced in South and Southeast Asia, with only about half the countries reviewed having integrated pathogen genomic surveillance initiatives in their national plans.

24 Sep 2024

FIRS urges global leaders to combat air pollution and lung disease

Seven million deaths annually are attributed to air pollution-related illnesses like COPD, lung cancer and respiratory infections. The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), calls on global leaders to intensify efforts to combat air pollution, a leading cause of lung disease and death worldwide.

24 Sep 2024

Urgent call for long-term investment in antibiotic research

Antibiotic resistance is a global public health threat. Modern health systems rely on antibiotics to prevent and treat infections, and the need for new drugs is urgent.

23 Sep 2024

Antibiotic resistance threatens millions of lives worldwide

More than 39 million people around the world could die from antibiotic-resistant infections over the next 25 years, according to a study published in The Lancet.

18 Sep 2024