title: Mycobacterium tuberculosis: immune evasion, latency and reactivation.
abstract: One-third of the global human population harbours Mycobacterium tuberculosis in dormant form. This dormant or latent infection presents a major challenge for global efforts to eradicate tuberculosis, because it is a vast reservoir of potential reactivation and transmission. This article explains how the pathogen evades the host immune response to establish a latent infection, and how it emerges from a state of latency to cause reactivation disease. This review highlights the key factors responsible for immune evasion and reactivation. It concludes by identifying interesting candidates for drug or vaccine development, as well as identifying unresolved questions for the future research.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK.
authors.forename: Antima
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Akshay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaul
authors.forename: Anthony G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Tsolaki
authors.forename: Uday
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kishore
authors.forename: Sanjib
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhakta
mesh_terms: D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015938:Complement Membrane Attack Complex / Q000276:immunology; D006099:Granuloma / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D057131:Immune Evasion; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010588:Phagosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D015938:Complement Membrane Attack Complex; D026361:Reactive Nitrogen Species; D009569:Nitric Oxide