Signals modulating the production of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) virulence factors essential for establishing long-term persistent infection are unknown. The WhiB3 redox regulator is known to regulate the production of Mtb virulence factors, however the mechanisms of this modulation are unknown. To advance our understanding of the mechanisms involved in WhiB3 regulation, we performed Mtb i...

The ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to thrive in its phagosomal niche is critical for its establishment of a chronic infection. This requires that Mtb senses and responds to intraphagosomal signals such as pH. We hypothesized that Mtb would respond to additional intraphagosomal factors that correlate with maturation. Here, we demonstrate that [Cl⁻] and pH correlate inversely with ph...

BACKGROUND Apoptosis is thought to play a role in host defenses against intracellular pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), by preventing the release of intracellular components and the spread of mycobacterial infection. This study aims to investigate the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress mediated apoptosis in mycobacteria infected macrophages. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL F...

Defense against infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is mediated by CD4 T cells. CCR2(+) inflammatory monocytes (IMs) have been implicated in Mtb-specific CD4 T cell responses but their in vivo contribution remains unresolved. Herein, we show that transient ablation of IMs during infection prevents Mtb delivery to pulmonary lymph nodes, reducing CD4 T cell responses. Transfer of MHC cl...

Group 1 CD1 molecules, CD1a, CD1b and CD1c, present lipid antigens from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to T cells. Mtb lipid-specific group 1 CD1-restricted T cells have been detected in Mtb-infected individuals. However, their role in protective immunity against Mtb remains unclear due to the absence of group 1 CD1 expression in mice. To overcome the challenge, we generated mice that express...

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common cause of primary renal diseases worldwide, and the early secreted antigenic target of 6 (ESAT-6) which was secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) may be involved in the development and progression of IgAN. This study aimed to investigate the role of ESAT-6 for early diagnosis of IgAN caused by MTB infection. From 2011 to 2014, 21 patients with ren...

Tuberculosis is a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), and many previous studies indicated that Hsp16.3 may play an important role in long-term survival of Mtb within macrophages. However, the underlying mechanism of Hsp16.3 in protecting of Mtb is not clear. In this study, we constructed a prokaryotic expression vector, pET28a-Mtb Hsp16.3, which induced the expression of...

ObjectiveTo evaluate he diagnostic performance of the Xpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis/Rifampin (MTB/RIF) assay in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF).MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed clinical data from 671 sputum-smear negative or sputum-scarce adult patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) who had an MTB/RIF performed on BALF. The assay, smear microscopy (SM) and MTB culture was...

To survive and replicate in macrophages Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has developed strategies to subvert host defence mechanisms, including autophagy. Autophagy induction has the potential to clear Mtb, but little is known about its effect during controlled tuberculosis and HIV co-infection. Mammalian target of rapamycin complex1 (mTORC1) inhibitors were used to induce autophagy in human ma...

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics, such as Xpert MTB/RIF, is still limited by cost. Testing of pooled samples from presumptive TB patients has been thought a cost-saving strategy to diagnose TB. We assessed the utility and MTB/RIF testing for diagnosis in Mwanza, Tanzania. Methods: Sputum Presumptive were submitted laboratory routine using MTB/RIF. The results individual sputum used ref...