Tuberculosis

Malnutrition is a vastly underappreciated contributor to tuberculosis, the researchers say. In a paper in the scientific journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, ...

The next steps are to develop solutions simultaneously with development of research leaders to ensure continuity of the scientific efforts to curb this long-standing epidemic.” The program will be led by Heysell and Stellah Mpagama, MD, PhD, director of research and innovation at Tanzania’s Kibong’oto Infectious Diseases Hospital, adjunct faculty at UVA, and the recipient of the Dr. Maria Kamm Best Female Scientist in Tanzania for 2022. “As ancient human conditions, malnutrition and tuberculosis do not often grab headlines,” Heysell said. “We can do more to follow the lead of young scientists in settings bearing disproportionate poverty.” “Blame for failure of tuberculosis treatment historically was placed on the patient and a lack of adherence to medicines,” said researcher Scott Heysell, MD, MPH, of UVA’s Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health. “Instead, the other germs in the gut of children from impoverished areas are leading to suboptimal levels of key medicines even if taken as directed. One of the strengths of the program is its diversity. New discoveries from the researchers highlight the crucial role of malnutrition in global tuberculosis. We should consider a Haitian saying: ‘Giving people medicine for tuberculosis and not giving them food is like washing your hands and drying them in the dirt.’” In a paper in the scientific journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the authors call malnutrition a “leading risk factor” for contracting the disease. A rapid scale-up in funding and research is needed,” they write. But doctors and scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine are making important progress in their longstanding efforts to better understand, prevent and treat tuberculosis, and they’ve received a $1.25 million boost for a partnership with colleagues in Tanzania to train the next generation of front-line soldiers in the war against the disease. As headlines focus on COVID-19 and, now, monkeypox, tuberculosis remains one of the great scourges of infectious disease around the world.