Biomedical Laboratory Science

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Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Heterogeneity in Tuberculosis.

Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), results in a range of clinical presentations in humans. Most infections manifest as a clinically asymptomatic, contained state that is termed latent TB infection (LTBI); a smaller subset of infected individuals present with symptomatic, active TB. Within these two seemingly binary states, there is a spectrum of host outcomes that have varying symptoms, microbiologies, immune responses and pathologies. Recently, it has become apparent that there is diversity of infection even within a single individual. A good understanding of the heterogeneity that is intrinsic to TB — at both the population level and the individual level — is crucial to inform the development of intervention strategies that account for and target the unique, complex and independent nature of the local host–pathogen interactions that occur in this infection. In this Review, we draw on model systems and human data to discuss multiple facets of TB biology and their relationship to the overall heterogeneity observed in the human disease.



Figure 1: A classical tuberculosis granuloma. The hallmark tuberculosis
granuloma is a highly organized collection of immune cells that aggregate
around a central necrotic core.


Source: NATURE REVIEWS IMMUNOLOGY


Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Antimicrobial resistance: a collection of reviews and research papers from Nature journals

Resistance to antimicrobials is a global problem of increasing importance. Pathogens rapidly develop mutations that render current treatments ineffective. For example, resistance to carbapenems, one of the ‘last lines’ of antibiotics, is widespread and has been observed in numerous countries; resistance to artemisinin, the gold standard in malaria treatment, has also emerged. Our current arsenal of antimicrobial agents thus has a limited lifespan and new drugs are urgently needed. Tackling this resistance will require a deep understanding of microbial infections and the mechanisms through which resistance arises, as well as concerted efforts between academia and industry aimed at developing novel antimicrobial agents.

This collection consists of Reviews, Research articles, and News and Comment articles from several Nature journals, describing how antibiotic resistance emerges and detailing strategies through which new antimicrobial compounds are being discovered.



Source: nature
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