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Impact
Tuberculosis, commonly called TB, is a contagious disease caused by the
bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In fact, someone in the world is
newly infected with TB bacilli every second. The bacteria can attack any part of
the body, but usually attacks the lungs. Tuberculosis of the lung is spread
through the air by coughing, talking, or sneezing. Left untreated, each person
with active TB disease will infect on average between 10 and 15 people every
year. The risk of infection is related to the proximity and the duration of
exposure to the source patient. Decreased ventilation in crowded and confined
environments is often a contributing factor. People with TB can be treated and
cured if they seek medical help, but the course of treatment is long. However,
multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis has emerged as a crucial threat due to
inconsistent or partial treatment. Today, HIV is accelerating the spread of
tuberculosis because HIV weakens the immune system. It is estimated that 1.7
million deaths resulted from TB in 2004. Both the highest number of deaths and
the highest mortality per capita occurred in Africa, where HIV has led to rapid
growth of the TB epidemic, and increases the likelihood of dying from TB.
Symptoms
Symptoms of tuberculosis depend on where in the body the bacteria are
growing. In the lungs, M. tuberculosis may cause a bad cough that lasts longer
than two weeks, pain in the chest, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite and coughing
up blood or sputum. Tuberculosis is a contagious disease, spreading through the
air like the common cold. Only people who are sick with pulmonary TB are
infectious. When infectious people cough, sneeze, talk or spit, they propel TB
germs, known as bacilli, into the air. A person needs only to inhale a small
number of these to be infected.
SBRI's Role
Caused by related bacteria and resulting in similar illnesses, tuberculosis
and MAC (Mycobacterium avium complex) are infectious diseases that are
difficult to treat and contain. In 2002, SBRI initiated the Pacific Northwest
Tuberculosis Straining Typing Center in order to assist the Seattle King County
Public Health Department in pinpointing the origins of local TB outbreaks. This
rapid diagnosis aided the health department in 2003 when King County suffered
its biggest surge in TB in 30 years. SBRI is currently focused on developing
more rapid diagnostics for TB that can easily be used in developing countries.
MAC, which is caused by an environmental organism that is
resistant to chlorine and can potentially be passed to human via drinking water,
was recently named a priority candidate for further research and guidance by the
Environmental Protection Agency. SBRI is working to better understand MAC's
resistance to antibiotics and is developing insights for swift and affordable
detection of novel and virulent strains of this bacterium. With antibiotic
resistance generally ascribed to the impermeable lipid-rich cell wall, SBRI
researchers recently uncovered a second fundamental and independent mechanism
that makes strains of this organism more resistant to drugs.
Gerard Cangelosi,
Ph.D., is known for his work in developing novel diagnostics for bacteria.
His team's research is aimed at understanding and overcoming the problems of
drug resistance and persistence of disease in tuberculosis and other related
bacteria.
David Sherman, Ph.D., is known for his
work focused on TB virulence and drug discovery. His team's research is engaged
in detailed analyses of M. tuberculosis gene expression in vivo
and in vitro.
Links
WHO
Tuberculosis World Health Organization
CDC
Tuberculosis Center for Disease Control and Prevention
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