Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), primarily affecting the lungs among other organs in the body. Before COVID-19, TB was the leading cause of death due to a single infectious agent. Underdiagnosis and underreporting of TB cases during the COVID pandemic pose a huge threat to the community further leading to an upsurge in drug resistant TB (DR-TB). WHO recommends bacteriological confirmation of TB with drug resistance as a prerequisite for better patient management.
Drug resistance in Mtb can be primary or acquired during the treatment of TB. Mutations are highly conserved for drug resistant genes and are exploited in the development of molecular tests to detect Mtb drug resistance. Currently, there is a need for newer point-of-care (POC) test for rapid detection of TB with its drug resistance. Next Generation Sequencing methods are used to offer comprehensive drug resistance profiling of TB patients from a single sample. Identification of novel mutation to existing and any upcoming newer drugs would help early detection of drug resistant TB (DR-TB).
In the last decade, newer and repurposed drugs like bedaquiline, delamanid, pretomanid, linezolid, and clofazimine were introduced in DR-TB regimens. With the emergence of additional drug resistance to current TB drugs, there is a need for new drugs for better therapeutic management of TB patients. Screening for anti-TB drugs followed by preclinical/clinical evaluation is necessary to identify newer drugs with safety and efficacy to help improve treatment outcomes and/or shorten the treatment duration. Tuberculosis and its management are complicated by co-morbidities like HIV and diabetes as well as social behaviour like tobacco or alcohol abuse. Host-directed therapy is emerging as a novel strategy to augment the clinical efficacy of currently used anti-TB drugs resulting in a favourable response to treatment, particularly in DR-TB with or without associated comorbidities. Management of treatment for TB patients is multifactorial and includes the right choice of treatment regimen, periodic clinical evaluation of health and ensuring patient compliance, screening for adverse side effects due to therapy as well as psycho-social support.
This research topic focuses on newer initiatives in the diagnosis of TB, including the detection of drug resistance, identification of new and/or improved TB drugs, application of repurposed drugs as HD TforTB therapy, and optimal management of TB patients.
We solicit original research articles, review reports, mini reviews, case reports, and other article types suitable to the broader goal of this research topic as follows:
• Rapid molecular detection of mycobacterial drug resistance
• Point of care tests for various forms of DR-TB
• Drug resistance profiling of DR-TB patients
• Identification of novel drug mutations associated with DR-TB
• Anti-TB drug screening tools/methodologies
• Preclinical and clinical evaluation of new and repurposed TB drugs
• Clinical trials for multiple drug combinations for DR-TB
• Comorbidities of TB like HIV, Diabetes and/or COVID-19 and their impact on DR-TB diagnosis and treatment
• Addressing gaps in DR-TB Interventional strategies
• Improved treatment outcomes of patients with DR-TB
• Contact screening for DR-TB patients
• Host-directed therapies for DR-TB treatment
Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), primarily affecting the lungs among other organs in the body. Before COVID-19, TB was the leading cause of death due to a single infectious agent. Underdiagnosis and underreporting of TB cases during the COVID pandemic pose a huge threat to the community further leading to an upsurge in drug resistant TB (DR-TB). WHO recommends bacteriological confirmation of TB with drug resistance as a prerequisite for better patient management.
Drug resistance in Mtb can be primary or acquired during the treatment of TB. Mutations are highly conserved for drug resistant genes and are exploited in the development of molecular tests to detect Mtb drug resistance. Currently, there is a need for newer point-of-care (POC) test for rapid detection of TB with its drug resistance. Next Generation Sequencing methods are used to offer comprehensive drug resistance profiling of TB patients from a single sample. Identification of novel mutation to existing and any upcoming newer drugs would help early detection of drug resistant TB (DR-TB).
In the last decade, newer and repurposed drugs like bedaquiline, delamanid, pretomanid, linezolid, and clofazimine were introduced in DR-TB regimens. With the emergence of additional drug resistance to current TB drugs, there is a need for new drugs for better therapeutic management of TB patients. Screening for anti-TB drugs followed by preclinical/clinical evaluation is necessary to identify newer drugs with safety and efficacy to help improve treatment outcomes and/or shorten the treatment duration. Tuberculosis and its management are complicated by co-morbidities like HIV and diabetes as well as social behaviour like tobacco or alcohol abuse. Host-directed therapy is emerging as a novel strategy to augment the clinical efficacy of currently used anti-TB drugs resulting in a favourable response to treatment, particularly in DR-TB with or without associated comorbidities. Management of treatment for TB patients is multifactorial and includes the right choice of treatment regimen, periodic clinical evaluation of health and ensuring patient compliance, screening for adverse side effects due to therapy as well as psycho-social support.
This research topic focuses on newer initiatives in the diagnosis of TB, including the detection of drug resistance, identification of new and/or improved TB drugs, application of repurposed drugs as HD TforTB therapy, and optimal management of TB patients.
We solicit original research articles, review reports, mini reviews, case reports, and other article types suitable to the broader goal of this research topic as follows:
• Rapid molecular detection of mycobacterial drug resistance
• Point of care tests for various forms of DR-TB
• Drug resistance profiling of DR-TB patients
• Identification of novel drug mutations associated with DR-TB
• Anti-TB drug screening tools/methodologies
• Preclinical and clinical evaluation of new and repurposed TB drugs
• Clinical trials for multiple drug combinations for DR-TB
• Comorbidities of TB like HIV, Diabetes and/or COVID-19 and their impact on DR-TB diagnosis and treatment
• Addressing gaps in DR-TB Interventional strategies
• Improved treatment outcomes of patients with DR-TB
• Contact screening for DR-TB patients
• Host-directed therapies for DR-TB treatment
