Utilizing Enzymes to Help Treat Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, or TB, is a contagious bacterial infection that primarily infects the lungs. While curative treatments exist for TB, more than 80 percent of cases occur in low- and middle-income nations where drug-resistant strains of the disease are on the rise and the price of medications is a burden. A next-generation class of antibiotics has shown good promise in targeting multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant TB, but their current manufacturing cost is a barrier to access in poorer countries that need them the most.