Although the tuberculosis bacterium is most renowned for its ability to cause pulmonary infection, the bacilli colonize many sites in the body in addition to the lungs. The recent identification of a key player in the dissemination of infection sheds light on the route by which tuberculosis spreads from the lungs and opens the way to assessing the significance of dissemination to the course of disease.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Pethe, K. et al. The heparin-binding haemagglutinin of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is required for extrapulmonary dissemination. Nature 412, 190–194 (2001)
Russell, D.G. Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Here today and here tomorrow. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. (in the press).
Bermudez, L.E. & Goodman, J. Mycobacterium tuberculosis invades and replicates within type II alveolar cells. Infect. Immun. 64, 1400–1406 (1996).
Menozzi, F.D. et al. Identification of a heparin-binding hemagglutinin present in mycobacteria. J. Exp. Med. 184, 993–1001 (1996).
Menozzi, F.D., Bischoff, R., Fort, E., Brennan, M.J. & Locht, C. Molecular characterization of the mycobacterial heparin-binding hemagglutinin, a mycobacterial adhesin. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 12625–12630 (1998).
Pethe, K. et al. Characterization of the heparin-binding site of the mycobacterial heparin-binding hemagglutinin adhesin. J. Biol. Chem. 275, 14273–14280 (2000).
McDonough, K.A. & Kress, Y. Cytotoxicity for lung epithelial cells is a virulence-associated phenotype of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Infect. Immun. 63, 4802–4811 (1995).
Lin, Y., Zhang, M. & Barnes, P.F. Chemokine production by a human alveolar epithelial cell line in response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Infect. Immun. 66, 1121–1126 (1998).
Dobos, K.M., Spotts, E.A., Quinn, F.D. & King, C.H. Necrosis of lung epithelial cells during infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis is preceded by cell permeation. Infect. Immun. 68, 6300–6310 (2000).
Birkness, K.A. et al. An in vitro tissue culture bilayer model to examine early events in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Infect. Immun. 67, 653–658 (1999).
Hernandez-Pando, R. et al. Persistence of DNA from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in superficially normal lung tissue during latent infection. Lancet 356, 2133–2138 (2000).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Russell, D. TB comes to a sticky beginning. Nat Med 7, 894–895 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/90926
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/90926