Human mesenchymal stem cells: New sojourn of bacterial pathogens

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), is the leading infectious disease which claims one human life every 15-20s globally. The persistence of this deadly disease in human population can be attributed to the ability of the bacterium to stay in latent form. M. tuberculosis possesses a plethora of mechanisms not only to survive latently under harsh conditions inside the host but also modulate the host immune cells in its favour. Various M. tuberculosis gene families have also been described to play a role in this process. Recently, human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported as a niche for dormant M. tuberculosis. MSCs possess abilities to alter the host immune response. The bacterium finds this self-renewal and immune privileged nature of MSCs very favourable not only to modulate the host immune system, with some help from its own genes, but also to avoid the external drug pressure. We suggest that the MSCs not only provide a resting place for M. tuberculosis but could also, by virtue of their intrinsic ability to disseminate in the body, explain the genesis of extra-pulmonary TB. A similar exploitation of stem cells by other bacterial pathogens is a distinct possibility. It may be likely that other intracellular bacterial pathogens adopt this strategy to 'piggy-back' on to ovarian stem cells to ensure vertical transmission and successful propagation to the next generation.