Activation of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells is required for an effective immune response to an M. tuberculosis infection. However, infected macrophages are poor antigen presenting cells and may be spatially separated from recruited T cells, thus limiting antigen presentation within a granuloma. Our previous studies showed that infected macrophages release from cells small membrane-bound vesicl...

Mycobacteria have features that make them attractive as potential vaccine vectors. The nonpathogenic and rapidly growing Mycobacterium smegmatis can express both Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens and heterologous antigens from other pathogens, and it has been used as a viable vector for the development of live vaccines. In order to further improve antigen-specific immunogenicity of M. smegmat...

The diagnosis of infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is of increased public health concern following increases in the number of cases in developed countries and major increases in developing countries associated with the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The specificity of purified protein derivative skin testing for the detection of infection is compromised by ...

We were greatly impressed by the Joint Tuberculosis Committee guidelines on the management of opportunist mycobacterial infections. We do, however, wonder why the word “opportunist” has been used to describe the mycobacteria, other than the M tuberculosis complex, that cause human disease. All mycobacteria causing disease, even the M tuberculosis complex, are opportunists. Thus, the latter are ...

Mycobacteria are intracellular pathogens that can survive within macrophage phagosomes, thereby evading host defense strategies by largely unknown mechanisms. We have identified a WD repeat host protein that was recruited to and actively retained on phagosomes by living, but not dead, mycobacteria. This protein, termed TACO, represents a component of the phagosome coat that is normally released...

We were greatly impressed by the Joint Tuberculosis Committee guidelines on the management of opportunist mycobacterial infections. We do, however, wonder why the word “opportunist” has been used to describe the mycobacteria, other than the M tuberculosis complex, that cause human disease. All mycobacteria causing disease, even the M tuberculosis complex, are opportunists. Thus, the latter are ...

12 Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are in the same family as the organisms that cause tuberculosis and leprosy, but unlike those organisms, NTM are widely dispersed in our environment, vary greatly in their ability to cause disease, and are not spread from person to person. There are about 140 different species of mycobacteria. Mycobacteria not closely related to tuberculosis or leprosy are c...

Cattle may provide a suitable model for testing ways of improving tuberculosis vaccine efficacy in human infants. A vaccination and challenge study was undertaken in calves to determine the optimal time to vaccinate neonatal animals with Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for protection against tuberculosis and to determine whether revaccination with BCG was beneficial. Calves (...

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) causing human infectious disease have become increasingly common. Rapid and accurate identification to the species level is, therefore, critical. The Speed-Oligo Mycobacteria assay is an oligochromatographic method that was made available recently for the identification and differentiation of mycobacteria. The present study aimed to evaluate the performance of ...