Grey areas in tuberculosis research: need to pay more attention

摘要

Tuberculosis research spanning over a century period, has led to several important breakthroughs. These discoveries have helped in developing microbiological and molecular methods for diagnosis. Efforts on drug discovery have provided several effective anti-TB drugs that have made the treatment highly effective. However, adaptation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resultant drug resistance/unresponsiveness has created a challenging situation. Further, capacity of this pathogen to lie dormant in the body for years together results in a big pool of hidden disease and potential reservoir of infection. While, there is gradually improving understanding of mechanisms of dormancy, it is still patchy and not enough. Focusing on these areas will prepare us better to tackle the disease in the long run. It will be highly desirable to concentrate the scientific efforts on these grey areas of tuberculosis research.