The genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its contribution to tuberculosis

• Autor(a) principal: Fernandes, Ana I.
• Data de Publicação: 2024
• Outros Autores: Saraiva, Margarida, Beites, Tiago
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.25761/anaisihmt.463

Introduction: Tuberculosis remains a global problem, with over 10.6 million new cases and more than 1.3 million fatalities each year. Despite a steady decline in these numbers over the past decades, the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed this downward trend. It is globally accepted that the fight against tuberculosis will require better means of prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. Fundamental research in these areas, particularly the understanding of the immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is essential. Many studies highlight the central role of the immune response in controlling M. tuberculosis infection, also showing that failures in this response often lead to progression to active disease. Although these studies traditionally focus on host characteristics, recent data point to an important role of pathogen genetic diversity in shaping the immune response. This variable has long been neglected due to the low genetic diversity of M. tuberculosis. Objective: With the advent of complete genome sequencing, we realized that, despite modest, the genetic diversity of the pathogen is not negligible. In this publication, we aim to describe how this actively contributes to the outcome of M. tuberculosis infection. Materials and methods: In this article, we present a literature review based on articles available on PubMed and relevant World Health Organization reports on the subject. Results: From the analysis conducted, we present the main arguments demonstrating the impact of M. tuberculosis genetic diversity on various aspects of tuberculosis and discuss how its incorporation into research can contribute to the design of more effective tools against this disease. Conclusion: The differences associated with various M. tuberculosis lineages highlight new challenges for the study of tuberculosis with implications for its prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.