Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative organism of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) now infects more than half of the world population. The efficient transmission strategy of the pathogen includes first remaining dormant inside the infected host, next undergoing reactivation to cause post-primary tuberculosis of the lungs (PPTBL) and then transmit via aerosol to the community. In this review, we are exploring recent findings on the role of bone marrow (BM) stem cell niche in Mtb dormancy and reactivation that may underlie the mechanisms of PPTBL development. We suggest that pathogen’s interaction with the stem cell niche may be relevant in potential inflammation induced PPTBL reactivation, which need significant research attention for the future development of novel preventive and therapeutic strategies for PPTBL, especially in a post COVID-19 pandemic world. Finally, we put forward potential animal models to study the stem cell basis of Mtb dormancy and reactivation.
Highlights
IntroductionEach year nearly 10 million new Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cases are reported as estimated by the world health organization [1]
Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is a major global health disease
We suggest that the finding imply early phase of dormant Mtb (dMtb) mobilization to lungs and release of viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) as explained in Figure 2.aSubclinical cases implies early pneumonia-like exudative early phase of post-primary tuberculosis of the lungs (PPTBL). bCD271+BM-MSCs: CD271+bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. cCD34+HSCs: CD34+hematopoietic stem cells
Summary
Each year nearly 10 million new PTB cases are reported as estimated by the world health organization [1] These infected cases spread the disease in the community via aerosol, the bacterial transmission is maintained [2]. After 10–30 years of dormancy or latency, active TB lesions reappear in the apical part of the lungs as post-primary tuberculosis of the lungs (PPTBL) [2, 10, 11]. These PPTBL infected adults exhibit vigorous cell-mediated
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