Mycobacterium tuberculosis, susceptibility to

Mycobacterium tuberculosis latently infects approximately one-third of humanity and is comparable only to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; see 609423) as a leading infectious cause of mortality worldwide. Obstacles for controlling TB infection include lengthy treatment regimens of 6 to 9 months, drug resistance, lack of a highly efficacious vaccine, and incomplete understanding of the factors that control infectivity and disease progression. Although only 10% of individuals infected with M. tuberculosis develop active disease, the immune responses associated with TB susceptibility or resistance are not known. In addition, it is not known why some individuals have disseminated TB that spreads to the meninges and central nervous system, while most people have localized disease in the lungs. A number of studies suggest that host genetic factors influence susceptibility and resistance to TB (review by Berrington and Hawn, 2007). [from OMIM]