The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is the official publication of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union).

Moxifloxacin, when used as part of a shorter treatment regimen for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), appears not to increase the risk for prolonging the QT interval (ie, interval between heart contraction and relaxation — the Q through T waves seen on electrocardiogram). This was among study results recently published in the Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and other Mycobacterial Diseases.

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be one of the top ten leading causes of death worldwide with more than 1.3 million reported deaths in 2020.

A new tuberculosis (TB) testing strategy has been available in South Africa since April this year, hoping to diagnose more people. Labelled a potential game-changer, an expert warns that issues like stigma and treatment barriers mustn’t be left behind.

Published today in PLOS ONE, “Serial T-SPOT.TB responses in Tanzanian adolescents: transient, persistent and irregular conversions”, investigators from the Geisel School of Medicine and Muhimibili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) report high rates of new tuberculosis (TB) infection among adolescents in Tanzania. Multiple blood tests for TB infection were conducted over three years in 650 schoolchildren age 13-15 and showed that the risk of acquiring new TB infection was 3 percent per year. In addition, by performing six or more blood tests on each volunteer with an interferon gamma release assay (IGRAs) the study team identified new patterns of transition between positive and negative IGRA tests for TB infection.

Reverse electron transport causes overproduction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, a key contributor to the aggravation of tuberculosis pathogenesis.

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) had a significantly higher incidence of low rifampicin plasma levels 2 hours after the anti-tubercular drug was administered, compared with patients with TB who did not have DM, according to results of a systematic review and meta-analysis recently published in the journal Therapies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has once more raised the red flag over the lack of new antibacterial treatments being developed to address the mounting threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

• New investment supports further innovation in malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV, with a new emphasis on Neglected Tropical Diseases and anti-microbial resistance
• GSK Global Health R&D Hubs are progressing more than 30 potential new vaccines and medicines, targeting 13 high-burden infectious diseases
• GSK will also maintain donations of albendazole until the elimination of lymphatic filariasis, and double production of its adjuvant for use in the RTS,S malaria vaccine
• New commitments support GSK’s ambition to positively impact the health of more than 2.5 billion people in the next ten years

23 June 2022, London UK: GSK plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) announced today an investment of £1bn over ten years to accelerate research and development (R&D) dedicated to infectious diseases that disproportionately impact lower-income countries.

A personal view, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, presented the achievements, challenges, and way forward for the oldest and largest global antimicrobial resistance surveillance system. Hosted by the World Health Organization since 1994, the Global Project on Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance Surveillance has served as a platform for the evaluation of the trends in TB drug resistance for over 25 years at country, regional, and global levels.