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System for Efficacy and Cytotoxicity Screening of Inhibitors Targeting Intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Published on: April 5, 2017
Determinants of cell entry and intracellular survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
1Divn of International Medicine, Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Abstract:
The ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to sustain a chronic infection and cause disease in a subset of those infected depends on its products--virulence factors--that enable the organism to enter and survive indefinitely inside mononuclear phagocytic cells by subverting cellular antimicrobial mechanisms. Characterizing these factors is essential to understanding the pathogenesis of M. tuberculosis.
Insights
Mycobacterium tuberculosis uses virulence factors to survive inside host cells, causing chronic infections. Identifying these factors is key to understanding tuberculosis pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Pathogenesis
Background:
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes chronic infections by evading host immune defenses.
- Virulence factors are essential for M. tuberculosis survival within host cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize virulence factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
- To understand how these factors contribute to pathogenesis.
Main Methods:
- This study focuses on characterizing virulence factors.
- Methods involve investigating the mechanisms of intracellular survival.
Main Results:
- Virulence factors enable M. tuberculosis entry and indefinite survival within mononuclear phagocytic cells.
- These factors subvert crucial cellular antimicrobial mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Characterizing M. tuberculosis virulence factors is essential for understanding disease pathogenesis.
- Identifying these factors may lead to novel therapeutic strategies.
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