Host-targeted therapy for tuberculosis: Time to revisit the concept

Tuberculosis (TB) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Every year millions of people die due to TB. Drug resistance has been a major factor that has obstructed successful control and treatment of TB. As the rate of spread of drug-resistant TB outpaces the rate of discovery of new anti-tubercular drugs, targeted therapy may provide a new approach to TB cure. In a scenario where drug resistance is spreading rapidly, and existing drugs regimens seem to be dwindling away, this review summarizes the concept of host-targeted therapy which may be the ray of hope for the effective management and control of the rapidly spreading drug-resistant TB (multidrug resistant and extensively drug resistant).

Clonal Diversity and Drug Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolated from Extra-pulmonary Samples in Central India - a Pilot Study.

In India, extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) accounts for 10 - 15% of all types of tuberculosis. To identify and compare predominant spoligotypes and drug‑resistance patterns in strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from extrapulmonary and pulmonary specimens in central India, drug susceptibility testing and spoligotyping were carried out. Spoligotyping data was analyzed using SITVIT2 database. ST11/EAI3_Ind with 33% isolates among extrapulmonary specimens and ST26/ CAS1_DEL with 28% isolates among pulmonary specimens were the most predominant lineages. Multidrug resistance was found in 5.5% of the strains isolated from extrapulmonary specimens in contrast to 17% isolated from pulmonary specimens.

Rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases: The role of giant African pouched rats, dogs and honeybees.

Early detection of infection in an individual is an important strategy to prevent transmission and spread of the infection - in the community or among patients admitted in a health care facility. Over the past decade, there have been rapid advances in technology in an attempt to provide rapid, accurate tests for diagnosis of infectious diseases. With this in perspective, the use of animals' superior olfactory sensitivity to sniff out infectious diseases holds promise.

A pilot study to determine genetic polymorphism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Central India.

This study was carried out to identify predominant spoligotypes responsible for transmission and prevalence of tuberculosis in central India since there is no data available about the genetic biodiversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from patients with tuberculosis in this region. 35 strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were subjected to spoligotyping according to the standard protocol. A total of 25 strains out of the 35 (71.42%) could be grouped in to 6 clusters. The largest cluster comprised 8 isolates. Unique (Non-clustered) spoligotypes were seen in 10 isolates, Nine strains did not match the data base (Spol DB-4 data base). The results indicate that there may be a number of orphan strains unique to this geographical area. Further studies on a larger sample size derived from this area would help us delineate the epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in this area.

Ethical issues in microbiology.

Ethical issues facing microbiologists could be considered in two parts. The first relates to the way the ethical issues during their laboratory work. The second pertains to ethical issues on the data/reports they generate for the patients or in research. In both segments, there is pressure to perform, which is exerted by both, the community, as well as peers. It has therefore become increasingly necessary to recognize the facts that unethical actions might be a frequent reality. Since some of these activities generate serious ethical concerns, both in practice and research, it is necessary for microbiologists to be aware and equipped to meet these issues in a prepared and measured way.. In an attempt to highlight this requirement, this article outlines the important ethical issues and guidelines relevant to the field of Microbiology.