Active TB versus Latent TB, a M. tuberculosis decisison

What is it about?

When M. tuberculosis decides to establish latent infection inside the host resamble the lysogenic cycle of lambda phage and when M. tuberculosis decides to cause pulmonary disease resemble the lytic cycle of lambda phage calling to the immune system of the host allowing the transmission to new hosts.

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Why is it important?

M. tuberculosis has the ability to promote dynamic responses to the host environment in order to guarantee its survival, replication, and transmission. Determinants of M. tuberculosis virulence include biologically active secreted proteins such as ESAT-6 (early secretory antigenic target-6), which mediates damage to the mycobacterial phagosomal membrane, which appears to enable the bacteria to replicate in the cytosol, allowing cell-to-cell spread of virulent M. tuberculosis. Active lipids interact with the host to contribute to the long-term success of the bacteria by modulating intracellular bacterial trafficking, host cell death pathways, and granuloma formation .

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