Redox biology of tuberculosis pathogenesis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is one of the most successful human pathogens. Mtb is persistently exposed to numerous oxidoreductive stresses during its pathogenic cycle of infection and transmission. The distinctive ability of Mtb, not only to survive the redox stress manifested by the host but also to use it for synchronizing the metabolic pathways and expression of virulence factors, is central to its success as a pathogen.