Sterilization of granulomas is common in active and latent tuberculosis despite within-host variability in bacterial killing.

ABSTRACT: Over 30% of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), yet only ∼5-10% will develop clinical disease. Despite considerable effort, researchers understand little about what distinguishes individuals whose infection progresses to active tuberculosis (TB) from those whose infection remains latent for decades. The variable course of disease is recapitulated in cynomolgus macaques infected with Mtb. Active disease occurs in ∼45% of infected macaques and is defined by clinical, microbiologic and immunologic signs, whereas the remaining infected animals are clinically asymptomatic. Here, we use individually marked Mtb isolates and quantitative measures of culturable and cumulative bacterial burden to show that most lung lesions are probably founded by a single bacte

SUBMITTER: Lin PL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3947310 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature