title: Tuberculosis: what we don't know can, and does, hurt us.
abstract: Mycobacterium tuberculosis has a penetrance of its host population that would be the envy of most human pathogens. About one-third of the human population would have a positive skin test for the infection and is thus thought to harbor the bacterium. Globally, 22 "high-burden" countries account for more than 80% of the active tuberculosis cases in the world, which shows the inequitable distribution of the disease. There is no effective vaccine against infection, and current drug therapies are fraught with problems, predominantly because of the protracted nature of the treatment and the increasing occurrence of drug resistance. Here we focus on the biology of the host-pathogen interaction and discuss new and evolving strategies for intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. dgr8@cornell.edu
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Clifton E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: JoAnne L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Flynn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D055808:Drug Discovery; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015980:Public Health Practice; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D001500:BCG Vaccine; D015415:Biomarkers
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