Cellular Safety Shelters Allow TB Agent To Survive In Infected Individuals
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - 11:35
in Health & Medicine
"Foamy" macrophage formation may be the key to persistence of infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis, explains a new study in PLoS Pathogens. These immunity-related cells are shown to be a safety reservoir where the bacterium can hide for years in infected individuals, before inducing an active disease.