MHF TOP PICKS FOR APRIL
Every month, we at the Mueller Health Foundation like to showcase interesting news and updates in the field of tuberculosis (TB). Below are our top 3 picks for April:
- New Study Reveals Potential Mechanism Behind Natural Resistance to Tuberculosis
A recent study co-led by researchers at The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) has uncovered a potential mechanism behind natural resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis. The research focused on individuals with HIV who, despite repeated exposure to Mtb, remained uninfected. The team analyzed alveolar immune cells from these individuals and discovered a significantly higher number of alveolar T cells, including cytotoxic T cells known to eliminate Mtb. This finding suggests a previously unrecognized immune defense mechanism occurring directly in the lung alveoli. This study is the first to examine alveolar immune responses in individuals naturally resistant to Mtb infection, offering a potential pathway to block TB transmission by focusing on preventing the initial infection rather than just the progression to active TB. The researchers plan to identify the specific T cell populations responsible for this resistance and explore methods to induce similar immune protection in others, aiming to develop new strategies to prevent TB infection before it begins. To learn more, you can access the research study at: https://doi.org/10.1172/jci188016
- Lessons Learned from Early Implementation and Scale-up of Stool-Based Xpert Testing to Diagnose Tuberculosis in Children
The study examines the early adoption and scale-up of stool-based tuberculosis testing in nine countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed stool as an alternative diagnostic sample for children in 2020, addressing the challenge that young children often cannot produce sputum. The study analyzed data from 71,757 children tested over three years, with an overall TB detection yield of 4.1%. The implementation highlighted key benefits, such as ease of sample collection, reduced need for invasive procedures, and improved case detection, especially in decentralized healthcare settings.
DID YOU KNOW?
In the mid-19th century, the celebrated poet John Keats fell victim to tuberculosis, the same disease that had claimed many of his family members.
By 1819, Keats, already plagued by financial struggles and personal loss, began experiencing the telltale signs of TB: persistent coughing, fever, and fatigue. A trained physician himself, he recognized the gravity of his condition when he first coughed up blood, famously remarking, “I know the color of that blood; it is arterial blood. I cannot be deceived by that color. That drop of blood is my death warrant.”
Hoping that a warmer climate would ease his suffering, Keats left England for Italy in 1820, settling in Rome under the care of his friend Joseph Severn. Despite their efforts, his health rapidly declined, and he succumbed to tuberculosis at just 25 years old.
Keats’ premature death cut short a poetic career of immense promise, but his work endured, influencing generations of writers. His story remains a poignant reminder of how tuberculosis shaped not only individual lives but also cultural and literary history, taking some of the world’s greatest talents before their time.
National Portrait Gallery, London