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Immune cells could be key to
tuberculosis treatment, study finds
Researchers
have found that certain immune cells aid in fighting tuberculosis bacteria,
providing a new drug target.
A new study has revealed that a class of
immune cells called innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) controls the body’s initial
defence against tuberculosis (TB). The findings suggest the potential for a new
approach to developing treatments and vaccines against TB.
The research was completed by scientists
at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis in collaboration with
scientists at the Africa Health and Research Institute, South Africa, among
others. It was partly funded by the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID), US.
TB cause more deaths worldwide than any
other infectious disease.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is
increasingly resistant to conventional antibiotic treatments and no vaccine is
currently approved to prevent TB in older children and adults. The researchers
suggest that investigating the pathway may yield novel approaches to TB
treatment and prevention.
ILCs can initiate quick, nonspecific
responses against pathogens and support immune responses against specific
pathogens. In people infected with Mtb, a subset of ILCs moved from the blood
to the lungs, where TB infections often take hold.
The study also tracked the activity of
ILCs in animal models. In mice with healthy immune systems, ILCs gathered at
infected lung tissue and used messenger molecules to recruit macrophages, the
scavenger cells of the immune system. These then formed protective granulomas,
or small areas of inflammation, to suppress the infection.
Mice without functioning ILCs had low levels of macrophages in lung tissue and poor immune control over their TB, demonstrating the early and pivotal role ILCs play in TB immunity.
From source: https://www.drugtargetreview.com/news/44543/immune-cells-could-be-key-to-tuberculosis-treatment-study-finds/
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