by Hannah Poukish Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain As Kansas deals with one of the largest tuberculosis outbreaks in the nation since the 1950s, Californians may be wondering whether they’re at risk. The Kansas outbreak, described by health officials as “unprecedented,” has killed at least two people and sickened dozens of others. It could be an...
Tag: <span>Tuberculosis</span>
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January 29, 2025
The GIST Editors’ notes Study finds three new safe, effective ways to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis by Harvard Medical School Clinical trials for new MDR-TB treatment regimens were conducted in regions with a high burden of disease. Credit: Jake Miller / HMS Tuberculosis remains one of the top infectious disease killers worldwide, a challenge amplified by drug-resistant...
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The tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas is alarming. It’s not the biggest in US history though, CDC says
by Devi Shastri Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A yearlong outbreak of tuberculosis in the Kansas City, Kansas area has taken local experts aback, even if it does not appear to be the largest outbreak of the disease in U.S. history as a state health official claimed last week. “We would expect to see a handful...
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Antibiotic treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis found to be safe and effective in clinical trial
by University of Sydney Credit: Vlada Karpovich from Pexels A clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the oral antibiotic levofloxacin taken once-daily for six months substantially reduced the risk of developing drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), and almost halved adults’ and children’s risk of developing multidrug-resistant TB. “Multidrug-resistant TB is a major global public...
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Tuberculosis research: Scientists demonstrate effectiveness of a new antibiotic
by Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic analysis of BTZ-043. Credit: The Lancet Microbe (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2024.07.015 A consortium including scientists from the Tropical Institute at LMU University Hospital has demonstrated the effectiveness of a new antibiotic. Tuberculosis is the most common infectious disease worldwide. In the year 2022 alone, there were 10.6 million new infections and 1.3...
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Significantly shorter treatment regimens for tuberculosis in children and adults now recommended
by American Thoracic Society Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Tuberculosis remains a public health crisis. The World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report released in November 2024 painted a sobering picture; approximately 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with TB in 2023, the highest number since the organization began global TB monitoring in 1995. A major challenge in tuberculosis treatment...
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Genetic platform identifies ‘Achilles heel’ of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis
by University of Otago WG-CRISPRi screening in M. tuberculosis strain mc26206. Credit: Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54072-w A University of Otago-led study has found a highly vulnerable weakness in drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, offering new possibilities for treatment. In the study, published in Nature Communications, researchers developed a genetic platform to identify biological pathways in a drug-resistant strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that...
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Plant compound used in traditional medicine may help fight tuberculosis
October 2, 2024 by Katie Bohn, Pennsylvania State University A compound found in African wormwood—a plant used medicinally for thousands of years to treat many types of illness—could be effective against tuberculosis, according to a new study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. The team, co-led by Penn State researchers, found that the chemical compound,...
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California’s tuberculosis cases spike in 2023
BY SARAH FORTINSKY – 03/13/24 5:20 PM ET Tuberculosis test.California saw a spike in tuberculosis cases in 2023, returning to levels not seen since before the pandemic. In 2023, there were 2,113 reported cases of tuberculosis (TB) in California — a 15 percent increase from the 1,842 reported cases in 2022. The number of cases...
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Tuberculosis bacteria also present in 90% of those with symptoms who are not diagnosed with TB, finds study
by Amsterdam University Medical Center Scanning electron micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which cause TB. Credit: NIAIDMycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacteria that causes a tuberculosis infection, is present in exhaled breath of 90% of those presenting with suspected tuberculosis. This includes those who were negative on conventional sputum testing and not diagnosed with TB. This...