Tuberculosis: A Persistent Threat to Global Health - Part 4: Targeting M. tuberculosis Carbon Metabolism In Vivo (26:12)

All pathogens must acquire and assimilate nutrients from their hosts in order to grow and multiply -- our tissues are literally their food -- yet surprisingly little is known about this fundamental aspect of the pathogenic lifestyle. Accumulating evidence suggests that M. tuberculosis might utilize fatty acids as its principal carbon and energy source during infection. The fourth part of this... » More

All pathogens must acquire and assimilate nutrients from their hosts in order to grow and multiply -- our tissues are literally their food -- yet surprisingly little is known about this fundamental aspect of the pathogenic lifestyle. Accumulating evidence suggests that M. tuberculosis might utilize fatty acids as its principal carbon and energy source during infection. The fourth part of this lecture describes work in our laboratory that is focused on identifying the metabolic pathways that are essential for growth and persistence of M. tuberculosis in vivo. Some of these pathways are potentially interesting targets for antimicrobial drug development, as they are not found in human ce « Hide