Tuberculosis or TB has been known to strike anyone, belonging to any background. It is the world’s number one infectious killer disease. There are drug resistant strains of TB which are extremely difficult to treat. Scientists have been conducting research to find the most effective cure for TB. There have been some TB breakthroughs and treatments recently, which would be a big boon to TB patients. Let’s take a closer look at a few of them:
TB breakthroughs and treatments
Though TB can strike even the affluent, it has been seen that the disease attacks those who are poverty stricken, live in overcrowded areas, and suffer from malnutrition. Studies also suggest that HIV patients are the most affected. Till now, there have been very few TB breakthroughs and treatments, and scientists have been struggling to find an effective vaccine for it. The BCG vaccine which is given to infants does offer some protection, but its effect wanes after a while and there is no protection for adults and adolescents.
At least 20 vaccines are in the pipeline, but time will tell whether they would be effective.
Breakthrough in Worcester using BCG
One of the recent advances in tuberculosis, in developing TB vaccines, occurred in Worcester, a town in Western Cape Town. As the doctors had limited resources to buy expensive drugs and to experiment, they decided to revaccinate people with BCG. The results were astounding – it was proved that the age-old TB vaccine BCG could actually protect adolescents by 45% from sustained pulmonary tuberculosis infection.
In the experiment, 1,000 adolescents were enrolled and who were given the vaccine. Those who received BCG were 45% likely to be free from TB by the end of two years. Those who were vaccinated did get TB, but were able to abort and fight the infection. According to the researchers, the finding could also help them to provide more insights as to which immune responses can clear TB.
This is a major development in TB breakthroughs and treatments, as the existing vaccine can be used for treatment.
British scientists have made a new breakthrough in TB diagnosis
British scientists in Birmingham and Oxford have made a new breakthrough in diagnosing TB. According to them, they have been able to isolate the different strains of TB using genome sequencing. This can lead to development of new drugs for tuberculosis treatment.
This is an important discovery in TB breakthroughs and treatments, as now patients will not have to wait to get the right treatment for their strain of TB. They can be correctly diagnosed within a week, and thus they have a greater chance of recovery. This breakthrough can save many lives worldwide.
This is one of the most crucial developments in the recent advances in tuberculosis. The technique provides information about the species of the TB bacteria and whether they are resistant to any drug. This will help the patients to avail the right treatment programme and get cured faster.
The NIX – TB trial
This has been hailed as an enormous breakthrough in the treatment of drug resistant TB or XDR TB. It has shown amazing success in 34 patients in South Africa suffering from XDR TB. The trial combined three antibiotics – pretomanid, bedaquiline, and linezoid. Bedaquiline was developed for TB, but was not used much. Pretomanid also was developed for TB, but it is still in its experimental stage. Linezoid is used for pneumonia and skin infections.
The drugs are in the form of pills, and though they have some toxicities, the participants did not withdraw from the study. Early in the study, four patients died due to advanced TB. The NIX-TB has been tailored for drug resistant or XDR TB, but it could work for MDR TB too in the future.
More funding required for research into TB fighting drugs
To discover new drugs for tuberculosis treatment, more funding is required. For example, there is much more funding for Ebola (which killed only 11,000 people) than for TB- with a fatality rate which is three times more than Ebola. WHO noted than there is a lack of $2.3 billion in funds for TB prevention and care, whereas there was a gap of $1.2 billion in development and research for TB. This has to be addressed globally if there is to be a new cure for TB.
The latest developments and breakthroughs in TB treatment and diagnosis spell some relief for the millions of people suffering from TB worldwide. Sufficient funding for research and care will help to control TB, and one day, eradicate this deadly disease.