Using host and bacterial genetic approaches to define virulence strategies and protective immunity during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

ABSTRACT Infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) resulted in over one million deaths in 2024, the highest number for any infectious disease. With no vaccines that protect against pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and the challenges associated with antibiotic therapy, there is a critical need to b...

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Main Author: Andrew J. Olive
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Society for Microbiology 2025-05-01
Series:mSphere
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00517-24
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author Andrew J. Olive
author_facet Andrew J. Olive
author_sort Andrew J. Olive
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) resulted in over one million deaths in 2024, the highest number for any infectious disease. With no vaccines that protect against pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and the challenges associated with antibiotic therapy, there is a critical need to better understand host-Mtb interactions to help curb this major public health problem. Mtb is arguably the most successful human pathogen, and it survives in diverse environments, resulting in heterogeneous disease outcomes in patients. Five years ago, in my commentary in mSphere, I discussed how Mtb virulence strategies that sense, adapt, and evade killing in the host can be uncovered using genetic approaches. Here, I will come full circle to highlight genetic approaches that recently uncovered new mechanisms regulating protective host responses and Mtb survival tactics. The goal is to highlight a genetic framework to probe a range of unexplored Mtb phenotypes, increase our understanding of host-Mtb interactions, and identify new therapeutic targets that may help prevent TB.
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spelling doaj-art-d94d01457a32475fa70ea1b4a8a680bf2025-08-20T02:33:43ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologymSphere2379-50422025-05-0110510.1128/msphere.00517-24Using host and bacterial genetic approaches to define virulence strategies and protective immunity during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infectionAndrew J. Olive0Department of Microbiology, Genetics, and Immunology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USAABSTRACT Infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) resulted in over one million deaths in 2024, the highest number for any infectious disease. With no vaccines that protect against pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and the challenges associated with antibiotic therapy, there is a critical need to better understand host-Mtb interactions to help curb this major public health problem. Mtb is arguably the most successful human pathogen, and it survives in diverse environments, resulting in heterogeneous disease outcomes in patients. Five years ago, in my commentary in mSphere, I discussed how Mtb virulence strategies that sense, adapt, and evade killing in the host can be uncovered using genetic approaches. Here, I will come full circle to highlight genetic approaches that recently uncovered new mechanisms regulating protective host responses and Mtb survival tactics. The goal is to highlight a genetic framework to probe a range of unexplored Mtb phenotypes, increase our understanding of host-Mtb interactions, and identify new therapeutic targets that may help prevent TB.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00517-24Mycobacteriumgeneticshost-pathogen interactionsimmune evasion
spellingShingle Andrew J. Olive
Using host and bacterial genetic approaches to define virulence strategies and protective immunity during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
mSphere
Mycobacterium
genetics
host-pathogen interactions
immune evasion
title Using host and bacterial genetic approaches to define virulence strategies and protective immunity during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
title_full Using host and bacterial genetic approaches to define virulence strategies and protective immunity during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
title_fullStr Using host and bacterial genetic approaches to define virulence strategies and protective immunity during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
title_full_unstemmed Using host and bacterial genetic approaches to define virulence strategies and protective immunity during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
title_short Using host and bacterial genetic approaches to define virulence strategies and protective immunity during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
title_sort using host and bacterial genetic approaches to define virulence strategies and protective immunity during mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
topic Mycobacterium
genetics
host-pathogen interactions
immune evasion
url https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00517-24
work_keys_str_mv AT andrewjolive usinghostandbacterialgeneticapproachestodefinevirulencestrategiesandprotectiveimmunityduringmycobacteriumtuberculosisinfection