Floating between the poles of pathology and protection: can we pin down the granuloma in tuberculosis?
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Updated: May 27, 2026

A Novel Microdissection Approach to Recovering Mycobacterium tuberculosis Specific Transcripts from Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded Lung Granulomas
Published on: June 5, 2014
Stephen T Reece1, Stefan H E Kaufmann
1Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Department of Immunology, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany. reece@mpiib-berlin.mpg.de
Abstract:
The granuloma in tuberculosis (TB), referred to as the tubercle, is a lesion containing multiple cell types and is the one definite hallmark of this disease. A number of tubercle phenotypes are seen during infection yet how these contribute to development of TB remains unclear. Here we highlight recent results using diverse models of tubercle development as well as recent findings from studies of human TB in an attempt to illustrate the plasticity of the tubercle and to place it between the poles of pathology and protection. Such insights could lead to future interventions to address TB as a global health issue.
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