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The relevance of persisters in tuberculosis drug discovery

Soma Mandal1, Samuel Njikan1, Anuradha Kumar1

  • 1TB Discovery Research, Infectious Disease Research Institute, 1616 Eastlake Ave. E, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98102, USA.

Microbiology (Reading, England)
|February 19, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Bacterial persister cells survive antibiotic treatment, complicating tuberculosis therapy. Targeting these resilient cells is key to developing new drugs that shorten treatment durations for tuberculosis.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Drug Discovery
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Bacterial persisters are phenotypic variants contributing to antibiotic tolerance.
  • These cells are implicated in the prolonged treatment required for tuberculosis (TB).
  • Targeting persisters is crucial for developing novel TB therapeutics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the characteristics and formation of mycobacterial persisters.
  • To discuss the challenges persisters present in TB treatment.
  • To explore current strategies for targeting persisters in drug discovery.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of mycobacterial persister biology.
  • Analysis of persister formation and resistance mechanisms.
  • Overview of current drug discovery approaches targeting persisters.

Main Results:

  • Persisters exhibit phenotypic resistance, hindering antibiotic efficacy.
  • Formation mechanisms and characteristics of mycobacterial persisters are complex.
  • Targeting persisters remains a significant challenge in TB drug development.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding persister cell biology is vital for advancing TB drug discovery.
  • New therapeutic strategies must address the persistence phenomenon.
  • Effective targeting of persisters could significantly shorten TB treatment.
Keywords:
antibioticsdrug discoverymycobacterianon-replicating organismspersistencetuberculosis

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