Researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a new way that tuberculosis bacteria get into the body, revealing a potential therapeutic angle to explore. One of the world's most deadly diseases, tuberculosis infects more than 8 million people and is responsible for 1.5 million deaths each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one-third of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis. The bacterium that causes tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, or Mtb, previously was thought to infect the body only through inhalation and subsequent infection of cells in the lungs.
