Remodeling the immune system to fight tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) kills upwards of 1.6 million people a year, making it one of the leading causes of death by an infectious agent worldwide — and that number is only growing larger. How, exactly, Mtb evades the immune system isn’t yet known, but a collaborative team of researchers recently discovered something surprising: prior exposure to a genus of bacteria called Mycobacterium seems to remodel the first-line defenders in the body’s immune system.

Source: sciencedaily.com

Related posts

Gonadal function in male mice disrupted by prenatal risk factors

Scientists solve decades long mystery of NLRC5 sensor function in cell death

U.S. Department of Education Announces Jeremy Singer as FAFSA Executive Advisor in the Office of Federal Student Aid