TY - JOUR
T1 - Latent tuberculosis
T2 - Mechanisms of host and bacillus that contribute to persistent infection
AU - Tufariello, Jo Ann M.
AU - Chan, John
AU - Flynn, Jo Anne L.
N1 - Funding Information:
Our work is supported by grants AI49157, HL68526, HL71241, and AI50732 (JC, JLF), AI37859 and AI47485 (JLF), and AI49375 (JMT) from the National Institutes of Health, and grant CI-016–N from the American Lung Association (JLF). We thank the members of the Flynn and Chan laboratories for helpful discussions and unpublished data.
PY - 2003/9/1
Y1 - 2003/9/1
N2 - Most people infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis contain the initial infection and develop latent tuberculosis. This state is characterised by evidence of an immune response against the bacterium (a positive tuberculin skin test) but no signs of active infection. It can be maintained for the lifetime of the infected person. However, reactivation of latent infection occurs in about 10% of infected individuals, leading to active and contagious tuberculosis. An estimated 2 billion people worldwide are infected with M tuberculosis - an enormous reservoir of potential tuberculosis cases. The establishment and reactivation of latent infection depend on several factors, related to both host and bacterium. Elucidation of the host immune mechanisms that control the initial infection and prevent reactivation has begun. The bacillus is well adapted to the human host and has a range of evasion mechanisms that contribute to its ability to avoid elimination by the immune system and establish a persistent infection. We discuss here current understanding of both host and bacterial factors that contribute to latent and reactivation tuberculosis.
AB - Most people infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis contain the initial infection and develop latent tuberculosis. This state is characterised by evidence of an immune response against the bacterium (a positive tuberculin skin test) but no signs of active infection. It can be maintained for the lifetime of the infected person. However, reactivation of latent infection occurs in about 10% of infected individuals, leading to active and contagious tuberculosis. An estimated 2 billion people worldwide are infected with M tuberculosis - an enormous reservoir of potential tuberculosis cases. The establishment and reactivation of latent infection depend on several factors, related to both host and bacterium. Elucidation of the host immune mechanisms that control the initial infection and prevent reactivation has begun. The bacillus is well adapted to the human host and has a range of evasion mechanisms that contribute to its ability to avoid elimination by the immune system and establish a persistent infection. We discuss here current understanding of both host and bacterial factors that contribute to latent and reactivation tuberculosis.
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U2 - 10.1016/S1473-3099(03)00741-2
DO - 10.1016/S1473-3099(03)00741-2
M3 - Review article
C2 - 12954564
AN - SCOPUS:0042863345
SN - 1473-3099
VL - 3
SP - 578
EP - 590
JO - Lancet Infectious Diseases
JF - Lancet Infectious Diseases
IS - 9
ER -