Rifampicin drug resistance and host immunity in tuberculosis: more than meets the eye

Trends Immunol. 2023 Sep;44(9):712-723. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2023.07.003. Epub 2023 Aug 3.

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death due to an infectious agent, with more than 1.5 million deaths attributed to TB annually worldwide. The global dissemination of drug resistance across Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains, causative of TB, resulted in an estimated 450 000 cases of drug-resistant (DR) TB in 2021. Dysregulated immune responses have been observed in patients with multidrug resistant (MDR) TB, but the effects of drug resistance acquisition and impact on host immunity remain obscure. In this review, we compile studies that span aspects of altered host-pathogen interactions and highlight research that explores how drug resistance and immunity might intersect. Understanding the immune processes differentially induced during DR TB would aid the development of rational therapeutics and vaccines for patients with MDR TB.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; altered immunity; drug-resistance; host–pathogen interactions; rifampicin.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Antitubercular Agents / pharmacology
  • Antitubercular Agents / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis*
  • Rifampin
  • Tuberculosis* / drug therapy
  • Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant* / drug therapy
  • Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant* / microbiology

Substances

  • Rifampin
  • Antitubercular Agents