Host-Targeted TB Therapies of Limited Efficacy So Far

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is notoriously difficult to eradicate even with combinations of antibiotics, leading researchers to pursue alternate strategies, including one aimed at bolstering host defenses against this pathogen. “Our inability to effectively treat all infected individuals necessitates a deeper understanding of the host-pathogen interface to facilitate new approaches,” says Amy Barczak of the Ragon Institute and Massachusestts General Hospital in Boston, Mass. She was one of several experts who participated in the symposium “Aiming at Non-Conventional Approaches to TB Therapies,” held at the 2016 ASM Microbe Conference in Boston last June.