(University of the Western Cape, 2022) Irabin, Aime Fabius; Dube, Admire
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis),
remains a fatal infectious disease and one of the top ten leading causes of mortality,
particularly in developing countries. Current drug therapy for TB is challenged by the poor
physiochemical properties of the antibiotics used. These properties impact their
bioavailability, toxicity, and treatment duration, thereby negatively impacting patient
adherence. These factors also contribute to the emergence of the difficult to treat multi-drug
resistant strains of M. tuberculosis. Recently, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising
alternative treatment modality for TB.