Amid this COVID-19 pandemic, let’s not forget about other prevalent diseases that are present in our world. Tuberculosis is a disease that falls into this category. As discussed in class, Mycobacterium tuberculosis commonly causes this disease. It contains mycolic acids on the surface of its cell. In addition, it is unique in that it does not fall victim to disinfectants and drying. There are two parts to this disease. The first part is known as latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), which is essentially what the individual has after the first time he or she is infected. The immune system does not have the ability to get rid of all of the infectious bacterial cells the first time around because the cells are able to use the components of foamy macrophages, such as lipids, to their benefit and survive in the host. Individuals who go through this initial infection are not even aware that they have it because it is asymptomatic. Since this is a latent infection, it can come back as active tuberculosis, or commonly called tuberculosis disease. This development is especially dangerous to the lungs and have the ability to infect other parts of the body by travelling through the bloodstream.
According to the World Health Organization, it is crucial that preventive treatments for tuberculosis are put into place and carried out. It was reported that while efforts have been made to do this, there is still much work to be done on the global level. Around the year 2022, leaders wanted 24 million or more individuals who have yet to have active tuberculosis to receive preventive treatment. In order to increase the number of people who receive these preventive treatments, there have been several suggestions and approaches put into place. For example, the organization is focusing on giving the treatment to individuals who have been exposed to tuberculosis or even those who reside in an area with high transmission rates of tuberculosis. In addition, people who have HIV are recommended to get preventive treatments as well. Tests, such as interferon gamma-release assays (IGRAs) and tuberculin skin tests (TSTs), should be administered on people to determine if they have a Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. A well-known preventive treatment is to take isoniazid each day for 6 months. Currently, preventive treatments that take less than 6 months are also highly supported, such as taking rifampicin each day by itself for 4 months.
I think I speak for everyone when I say that I’m glad that this is not another coronavirus article. I am glad that the World Health Organization is still taking the time to acknowledge other diseases that are present in our world. As mentioned in class, patients with HIV are more susceptible to this disease because they are immunocompromised. M. tuberculosis takes advantage of this situation by reactivating more easily. In addition, since a common way to become infected with this pathogenic bacteria is by inhaling them from the air, it is important for people who live in an area with people who test positive for the bacteria to get tested as well and get preventive treatment before the latent infection turns into active tuberculosis. I thought it was interesting that the World Health Organization has opened up to prevention methods that require the individual to take a medication for only a few months instead of those that last about 6 months or more. Since there is growing resistance to drugs, such as isoniazid and rifampin, I wonder if this played any role in that recommendation.
According to an article from U.S. News & World Report, researchers discovered a new potential way to administer the tuberculosis (TB) vaccine. When delivered through the I.V. (intravenous) route, the amount of bacteria present in the individual’s lungs is greatly decreased by the thousands. In addition, there was a reduction in levels of inflammation that was observed in the lungs. This research was conducted on mainly monkeys because the Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in monkeys is similar to that of it in humans. The researchers also did additional research on the monkeys months following the administration of the vaccine intravenously. They discovered that there was still mainly little to no inflammation seen in the lungs. While these are important findings, the researchers also acknowledge that this still could be risky for humans because the chance for infection is relatively high and it is very challenging to deliver it intravenously.
The findings presented in this article are quite fascinating to me. As discussed in class, the tuberculosis vaccine, known as the BCG vaccine, is classified as a live attenuated vaccine. It is not commonly used in the United States due to its potential in giving false positives to tuberculin skin tests. This TB vaccine is typically administered in areas with a reported high number of tuberculosis cases. While it may not help the people of the United States directly, it is an important discovery because it has the potential of decreasing the number of childhood tuberculosis cases and the adverse side effects of the vaccine itself.
Despite today’s day and age, it is nice to hear about new discoveries being made about other diseases. It gives me hope that one day, researchers and scientists will be able to make a vaccine for the coronavirus. In the meantime, take care everyone! ❤
Melanie Nguyen's Microbiology Blog 