Identification of Rv1133c (MetE) as a marker of replication and as a highly immunogenic antigen with potential immunodiagnostic power.

The immunization of mice with the sterile culture medium supernatants of (Mtb) H37Rv permitted the production of several monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for secreted and/or released antigens. Two mAbs bound and immunoprecipitated an 80-kDa protein that was identified by mass spectrometry as Rv1133c, the methionine synthase MetE. The protein MetE is ubiquitous among prokaryota and shows a significant sequence homology in many bacteria.

Exploring diagnostic methods for drug-resistant tuberculosis: A comprehensive overview.

Despite available global efforts and funding, Tuberculosis (TB) continues to affect a considerable number of patients worldwide. Policy makers and stakeholders set clear goals to reduce TB incidence and mortality, but the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) complicate the reach of these goals. Drug-resistance TB needs to be diagnosed rapidly and accurately to effectively treat patients, prevent the transmission of MDR-TB, minimise mortality, reduce treatment costs and avoid unnecessary hospitalisations.

Eradication of Drug-Tolerant 2022: Where We Stand.

The lungs of tuberculosis (TB) patients contain a spectrum of granulomatous lesions, ranging from solid and well-vascularized cellular granulomas to avascular caseous granulomas. In solid granulomas, current therapy kills actively replicating (AR) intracellular bacilli, while in low-vascularized caseous granulomas the low-oxygen tension stimulates aerobic and microaerophilic AR bacilli to transit into non-replicating (NR), drug-tolerant and extracellular stages. These stages, which do not have genetic mutations and are often referred to as persisters, are difficult to eradicate due to low drug penetration inside the caseum and mycobacterial cell walls.

Epidemiology and drug susceptibility of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in Italy in 2016-2020.

Introduction: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental mycobacteria which may cause pulmonary and extrapulmonary diseases. These organisms are difficult to treat due to their intrinsic drug-resistance. In Italy, no major nationwide study on NTM epidemiology and drug susceptibility was performed.

Decreasing trend of drug-resistant TB in Italy.

TB caused by rifampicin-resistant (RR) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains is a major concern to TB control globally. However, in the European Union, MDR-TB notifications among all bacteriologically confirmed TB cases with available drug susceptibility testing (DST) results decreased over the last years. We conducted a retrospective analysis on DST results reported from 2011 to 2020 by 46 laboratories in 19 out of 20 regions in Italy in order to evaluate resistance trends to first- and second-line drugs in MDR/RR-TB strains isolated from Italian-born persons (IBPs) and foreign-born persons (FBPs).