tuberculosis - Nanotechnology

What is Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease typically caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It primarily affects the lungs but can also impact other parts of the body. The disease spreads through airborne particles when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Common symptoms include a persistent cough, chest pain, and coughing up blood.

How Can Nanotechnology Help in Diagnosing Tuberculosis?

Traditional TB diagnosis methods like the Mantoux tuberculin skin test and sputum smear microscopy have their limitations in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Nanotechnology offers innovative solutions for more accurate and faster diagnostics. Nanoparticles functionalized with specific biomarkers can be used to detect TB bacteria with high precision. Additionally, nano-biosensors and quantum dots offer potential for point-of-care diagnostics, making TB testing more accessible, especially in low-resource settings.

What Role Does Nanotechnology Play in Treating Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis treatment typically involves a lengthy course of multiple antibiotics, which can lead to drug resistance and patient non-compliance. Nanotechnology can enhance TB treatment by developing nanoformulations of existing drugs, which improve their bioavailability and reduce side effects. For instance, liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles can be used to encapsulate anti-TB drugs, ensuring targeted delivery to the infected cells and tissues.

How Can Nanotechnology Help Combat Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis?

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) are significant public health challenges. Nanotechnology provides a novel approach to overcome drug resistance by delivering siRNA or CRISPR-Cas9 systems to target and silence resistance genes in TB bacteria. Moreover, nanoparticles can be designed to carry multiple drugs, ensuring a synergistic attack on the bacteria and reducing the likelihood of resistance development.

What are the Challenges and Future Directions?

Despite the promising potential, the application of nanotechnology in TB management faces several challenges. These include toxicity concerns, the stability of nanoparticles, and the high cost of nanomaterials. Regulatory hurdles and the need for extensive clinical trials also pose barriers to widespread adoption. Future research should focus on developing biocompatible and cost-effective nanomaterials, as well as ensuring their scalability for large-scale use. Collaborations between researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers will be crucial in translating nanotechnology advancements into practical TB solutions.

Relevant Publications

IQGAP1 domesticates macrophages to favor mycobacteria survival via modulating NF-κB signal and augmenting VEGF secretion.

Issue Release: 2024

Causal associations of gut microbiota and pulmonary tuberculosis: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Issue Release: 2024

Advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) does not affect ability to utilize lymphadenopathy in assessment of drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms syndrome in HIV and tuberculosis: Prospective comparative study.

Issue Release: 2024

Head-to-head comparison of diagnostic accuracy of TB screening tests: Chest-X-ray, Xpert TB host response, and C-reactive protein.

Issue Release: 2024

Trend of pulmonary tuberculosis and rifampicin-resistance among tuberculosis presumptive patients in Central Tigray, Ethiopia; 2018 -2023: a six-year retrospective study.

Issue Release: 2024

Evaluation of serial QuantiFERON-TB Gold in tube test results and tuberculosis infection status in patients with psoriasis receiving anti-IL-17 treatment (secukinumab and ixekizumab): Real-world data from a tuberculosis-endemic country.

Issue Release: 2024

[Disseminated tuberculosis revealed by epididymal localization in an immunocompetent patient: a case report].

Issue Release: 2024

Challenges and Barriers Faced by People with TB and Healthcare Workers Providing TB Care and Management - A Qualitative Study.

Issue Release: 2024

Optimizing the cascade of prevention to protect people from tuberculosis: A potential game changer for reducing global tuberculosis incidence.

Issue Release: 2024

A Quality by Design Approach for Optimizing Solid Lipid Nanoparticles of Bedaquiline for Improved Product Performance.

Issue Release: 2024

Identification of host immune-related biomarkers in active tuberculosis: A comprehensive analysis of differentially expressed genes.

Issue Release: 2024

Shining a light on clofazimine: Unveiling crystal-laden macrophages in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Issue Release: 2024

Retrospective analysis of the clinical utility of multi-cytokine profiles in smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis.

Issue Release: 2024

Highly active antiretroviral therapy is necessary but not sufficient. A systematic review and meta-analysis of mortality incidence rates and predictors among HIV-infected adults receiving treatment in Ethiopia, a surrogate study for resource-poor settings.

Issue Release: 2024

The hsa_circ_0002371/hsa-miR-502-5p/ATG16L1 axis modulates the survival of intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis and autophagy in macrophages.

Issue Release: 2024

A study to assess the nutritional status and dietary gap among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Raipur city.

Issue Release: 2024

Midwifery hurdles: Navigating tuberculosis screening challenges in South Africa.

Issue Release: 2024

Monitoring Live Mycobacteria in Real-Time Using a Microfluidic Acoustic-Raman Platform.

Issue Release: 2024

A retrospective study on intracranial mixed infection with tuberculous meningitis in Shenzhen, China.

Issue Release: 2024

Tuberculosis impacts multiple aspects in quality of life in a Romanian cohort of drug-susceptible and drug resistant patients: A patient-reported outcome measures study.

Issue Release: 2024

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