Medications

New antibiotics could tackle drug-resistant tuberculosis bacteria

Infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis kills 1.5 million people worldwide every year. Antibiotics to treat TB exist, but in recent years, multi-drug resistant (MDR), extensively drug-resistant (XDR) and totally drug-resistant ...

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Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is a pathogenic bacterial species in the genus Mycobacterium and the causative agent of most cases of tuberculosis. First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch, M. tuberculosis has an unusual, waxy coating on the cell surface (primarily mycolic acid), which makes the cells impervious to Gram staining; acid-fast techniques are used instead. The physiology of M. tuberculosis is highly aerobic and requires high levels of oxygen. Primarily a pathogen of the mammalian respiratory system, MTB infects the lungs, causing tuberculosis.

The M. tuberculosis genome was sequenced in 1998.

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