Tuberculosis Diagnostic, Treatments and Vaccines Research

Dear Colleagues,

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), a human infectious lung disease that causes the death of more than 1.5 million persons each year (according to the WHO). Mtb is a successful pathogen, which, upon inhalation, is able to infect the host alveolar macrophages. The bacteria are able to prevent the acidification of its containing vacuole by blocking the phagosomal maturation. Ultimately, Mtb can escape the vacuole and reside inside the cell cytoplasm. Therefore, Mtb has developed a huge set of mechanisms to promote its survival and massively replicate during its prolonged stay in the host. Several virulence factors of Mtb have been identified with the help of genetic tools and animal models.

Although the mortality associated with tuberculosis decreased over the last 15 years, cases of resistance and multidrug resistance continue to rise in a very worrying manner (500,000 cases diagnosed each year). Current treatment is an antibiotic therapy that is characterized by a complex drug regimen that has to be taken for a long time, causing problems with toxicity and compliance. Therefore, treating TB remains a real challenge. With the difficulties encountered in recent decades to find new antimicrobial molecules, there is an urgent need to develop new strategies to improve the current treatment.

BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) remains the only effective vaccine against tuberculosis. Its discovery early in the 20th century allowed a drastic reduction in children mortalities. However, the vaccine has been shown to provide variable protection in adults against pulmonary tuberculosis. Novel and more effective strategies, including new vaccines or a different use of BCG, are now essential to reduce the prevalence of the disease and foresee its eradication.

TB diagnosis is particularly difficult in immunocompromised individuals or children. In this regard, the latest WHO report highlights improvements in TB diagnostics and shortening the time to initiate appropriate treatment as key priorities.

For this Special Issue of Vaccines, we kindly invite authors to submit an original research article or a review focusing on the recent advances to diagnose, prevent or treat TB. Potential topics could include (but are not limited to): new treatment strategy, vaccine studies or the setting up of a new diagnostic test.

Dr. Machelart Arnaud
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• vaccine
• diagnostic
• treatment