Case researchers focusing on finding tuberculosis vaccine

For 14 years, more than half of the global AIDS pandemic, a Cleveland-led research project has explored ways of treating tuberculosis with standard drugs.

The respiratory infection is the most common cause of death among adult AIDS patients in sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty, bad ventilation and overcrowded living conditions are rampant. Studies like those carried out at Case Western Reserve University and its global partners have helped establish shorter treatment cycles that make control of TB more affordable for impoverished countries.

The tuberculosis research unit, whose partners stretch from Brazil to Uganda, is now refocusing its efforts on finding a vaccine against TB. With a renewal of its $27 million contract from the National Institutes of Health, the tuberculosis research unit also is putting more emphasis on finding who is most likely to develop full-blown TB after exposure to the airborne bacteria.
source:www.cleveland.com