tuberculosis
Vitamin C Can Kill Drug-Resistant TB Bacteria
Vitamin C can kill drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in laboratory culture, according to a new, surprising discovery by experts at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The research, published in Nature Communications, indicates that adding vitamin C to existing TB drugs could shorten TB therapy. The finding calls attention to a novel area [...]
Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis A Rising Threat
Without expanded treatment and funding, the global fight against tuberculosis could decline – an alarming threat – the World Health Organization (WHO) warned yesterday. Over the last few years, the overall prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) has decreased, however the bacterium that causes the disease is quickly changing and becoming resistant to many of the drugs [...]
Resistant Tuberculosis Drug Sirturo (bedaquiline) Approved By FDA
Sirturo (bedaquiline) has been approved by the FDA as part of combination therapy for adults with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis when other alternatives are not possible. This is the first TB medication to be approved in four decades, the FDA informed… Read More
TB Campaign Threatened By Drug Resistance
The number of people who are being infected with multi-drug-resistant TB (MDT-TB) has increased significantly; too few are being diagnosed and treated, says the World Health Organization (WHO). The campaign to reduce TB infections globally by half by 1015 could be undermined by MDT-TB… Read More
Vitamin D In High Doses Accelerates Tuberculosis Recovery
High doses of the “sunshine” vitamin D can help people with tuberculosis recover more quickly, researchers at Queen Mary, University of London, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). For several decades, heliotherapy – encouraging (tuberculosis) patients to soak up the sun’s rays – has been used in Swiss clinics successfully… [...]
Extensively Drug Resistant TB Levels Alarming
Tuberculosis that is resistant to first-line and second-line drugs is becoming more prevalent, an international team of experts reported in The Lancet today. They described levels of extensively drug-resistant TB as “alarming”. 43.7% of TB (tuberculosis) cases in eight countries were found to be resistant to at least one second-line drug… Read More
New Tuberculosis Drug Combo Cuts Treatment Time
The first new drug combination for treating tuberculosis (TB) has cleared a major hurdle: results of a phase II clinical trial published this week in The Lancet show it killed more than 99% of patients’ TB bacteria within 2 weeks. The study suggests the new drug combination could be more effective than current treatments… Read [...]
