title: Translating basic science insight into public health action for multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.
abstract: Multidrug (MDR)- and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) impose a heavy toll of human suffering and social costs. Controlling drug-resistant TB is a complex global public health challenge. Basic science advances including elucidation of the genetic basis of resistance have enabled development of new assays that are transforming the diagnosis of MDR-TB. Molecular epidemiological approaches have provided new insights into the natural history of TB with important implications for drug resistance. In the future, progress in understanding Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain-specific human immune responses, integration of systems biology approaches with traditional epidemiology and insight into the biology of mycobacterial persistence have potential to be translated into new tools for diagnosis and treatment of MDR- and XDR-TB. We review recent basic sciences developments that have contributed or may contribute to improved public health response.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, Colorado, USA. nicholas.walter@ucdenver.edu
authors.forename: Nicholas D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Strong
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Belknap
authors.forename: Diane J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Ordway
authors.forename: Charles L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Daley
authors.forename: Edward D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health / Q000639:trends*; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical / Q000639:trends*; D017211:Treatment Failure; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents