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Tuberculosis

New drug might cure latent tuberculosis

Thu, 03/25/2010 - 21:33 by Inderjit Singh

Sydney -- Australian medical scientists say they have made a discovery that might lead to the first new drug treatment for tuberculosis in nearly 50 years.

The researchers at Sydney's Centenary Institute, led by Nick West, said they are studying the genetics of tuberculosis with the goal of reducing the impact of one of the deadliest diseases in the world.

"When someone is infected with TB they either become sick immediately or the disease stays inactive, latent. Unfortunately, the antibiotics we use to fight TB aren't effective against latent TB and can only be used when the disease becomes active. This is a major problem as 1 out of 10 people who have latent TB will develop the active disease, becoming sick and contagious."

HIV patients dying of TB

Wed, 03/25/2009 - 14:49 by Neha

Rio De Jeneiro -- Tuberculosis is increasingly becoming an illness linked to HIV, the World Health Organization reported Tuesday in Brazil.

One out of every four TB deaths in the world is now related to human immunodeficiency virus, WHO officials said.

Data from 2007 shows there were an estimated 1.37 million new cases of TB among HIV-infected people and 456,000 deaths.

WHO said there has been a huge increase in the number of TB patients being tested for HIV, especially in Africa where only 4 percent were tested in 2004. In 2007, 37 percent of TB patients were tested for HIV, which also is known to develop into AIDS. Several countries reported testing more than 75 percent of TB patients, the report said.

Two-drug therapy offers hope for drug-resistant TB

Fri, 02/27/2009 - 16:04 by Jamie Anderson

New York, February 27: Meropenem and clavulanate, two FDA-approved antibiotics, when used in combination, appear to offer great promise against the deadly, extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), a new American study claims.

Doctors eyeing TB efforts in Mexico

Tue, 02/17/2009 - 07:47 by Rakhi Kaptiyal

Reynosa, Mexico -- Tuberculosis services in Mexico need to improve to help ailing individuals and prevent immigrants from spreading the disease to U.S. cities, doctors say.

Dr. Magin Pereda, who operates a TB program in Mexico, said immediate treatment was desperately needed in Mexico for those diagnosed with tuberculosis, the Chicago Tribune said Monday.

"It is a devastating experience to watch people suffering from this disease every day, especially when there are measures to ease their suffering," said Pereda, who battles the disease in Reynosa, Mexico.

Equally troubling is how infected Mexican nationals can unknowingly transport the disease to U.S. cities where the infectious disease can spread.

While Mexican immigrants make up 6 percent of the total Illinois population, the immigrant group represents 18 percent of all reported TB cases, the Tribune said.