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Researchers decode link to TB infection

Respiratory Care Weekly, February 15, 2006

Indian scientists identified how chemical compounds called siderophores promote tuberculosis (TB) infection, according to the January 30 advance online publication of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Web site. Siderophores scavenge iron from the cellular environment and serve as a major survival mechanism for TB.

Researchers discovered siderophores more than 50 years ago, but the genes involved in how TB uses the chemical compounds remained a mystery until now. The new knowledge may lead to more effective vaccines and treatments.

"Now that the major siderophore genes and their functions have been defined, understanding the biosynthetic pathway provides an opportunity to develop small-molecule inhibitors with the potential for developing anti-tuberculosis drugs," said Rajesh S. Gokhale, lead investigator on the New Delhi-based study.

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