Controlled human infection models (CHIMs) can accelerate vaccine development for infectious diseases. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a human-adapted pathogen that is the leading infectious cause of death worldwide. M tuberculosis infection results in a spectrum of clinical outcomes that are incompletely modelled in animals. To date, the risks of infection, prolonged…
Linezolid, an oxazolidinone, is a cornerstone of treatment regimens for highly drug-resistant tuberculosis but cannot be used in drug-susceptible disease because of toxicity. This toxicity results from inhibition of mammalian mitochondrial protein synthesis. Here we show the development of a new oxazolidinone, MK-7762, with antitubercular activity that is better than…
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death due to an infectious agent. Adherence to long and complex TB treatments is supported by methods including directly observed therapy. The negative impact of missed drug doses on clinical outcomes is well established, highlighting both the importance of adherence support and methods…
The development of new regimens to treat tuberculosis (TB), the disease caused by , is critical to improving patient outcomes and decreasing global infectious disease mortality. Early evaluation of candidate regimens in non-clinical models of TB, such as the relapsing mouse model (RMM), remains an important step in prioritizing the…
In Tuberculosis Trials Consortium Study 35, which investigated the optimal dosing and safety of once-weekly isoniazid and rifapentine (3HP) in 69 children requiring tuberculosis preventive therapy, 7 children with HIV received 50 mg of once-daily dolutegravir. Plasma dolutegravir concentrations were consistent with those predicted in children on dolutegravir not receiving…
Early bactericidal activity and time to sputum conversion are well-established study end points in both preclinical animal models and clinical trials for testing drug regimens for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The development and optimization of treatment-shortening drug regimens for TB have been challenged by disparities between these study end points and…
Eradication of tuberculosis requires new drugs targeting novel pathways. Although purine metabolism represents an essential antitubercular target, concerns about host nucleobase rescue limited its exploration. New data demonstrate that nucleobase levels in human lung tissue are insufficient to confer rescue, renewing interest in this pathway for tuberculosis drug discovery.
Since the release of the first Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome in 1998, major advances have been made in understanding the biology of this pathogen, the leading infectious cause of death in modern human history. In this Review, we outline the physiological and metabolic features thought to underpin the survival, evasion and…