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A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has identified a common genetic variant that makes people infected with HIV much more susceptible to tuberculosis (TB). Sub-Saharan Africa has been particularly hard hit by the TB-HIV dual-epidemic and globally, a higher incidence of tuberculosis is known to occur in people of […]

TB Alert is saddened to hear of the passing of Professor Jimmy Williamson, who worked with our late Honorary President Sir John Crofton on a pioneering treatment for TB. Professor Williamson died in June 2013, aged 92, after a distinguished career which included treating the author George Orwell for TB. Between 1954 and 1957, he […]

Researchers have published an article in the medical journal Thorax, suggesting improvements to the way people moving to the UK are screened for tuberculosis (TB). Currently, screening for latent TB is based on TB infection rates in the country a person comes from. However, the researchers say that this alone “does not accurately predict the […]

Research published in the journal Nature has mapped out the genetics of the regulatory network of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria which cause tuberculosis. The focus of the research was on the genes that control how the bacteria respond to environmental changes. The work is being hailed as a “landmark” discovery and the researchers hope that […]

New research published in the journal, PLOS Pathogens, suggests that people from different ethnic groups may show different immune responses to the bacteria which cause TB. The study was led by researchers at Queen Mary, University of London, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). As immune response is […]

In an effort to slow the rise of multi drug-resistant tuberculosis, the Indian government is considering banning the open sale of tuberculosis drugs. Instead, all patients would receive the drugs for free each day at government registered clinics. This is known as Directly Observed Treatment (DOT), a system which is designed to ensure more regular […]

The government’s intention to charge migrants to access NHS treatment could unwittingly damage the health of the wider population. For infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, discouraging people from accessing primary care will lead to them arriving at A&E when their symptoms are advanced, and only after they are likely to have infected other people. TB […]

Research and development for new tools to treat, diagnose and prevent tuberculosis (TB) is moving forward far too slowly, according to a report published by Treatment Action Group (TAG) and HIV i-Base. The 2013 Pipeline Report identifies some successes in the development and deployment of new tools to fight TB, but says that a lack […]

The journal, Nature, has published an article detailing research into how the lineage of Mycobacteria tuberculosis affects its potential to become drug resistant. The research has found that an East Asian mycobacterial lineage is associated with increased drug resistance rates, when cultured in a laboratory, when compared to to strains from an Euro-American lineage. Read […]

When journalist, Jo Chandler, visited the slums of Papua New Guinea to document the impact of tuberculosis, she did not expect to return home harbouring a multi drug-resistant form of the disease. In this fascinating article, Jo contrasts her own experience of TB diagnosis and treatment – in a well funded Australian health service – […]