Tuberculosis is distinguished primarily by the persistent cough that serves to spread the disease. Stopping whatever triggers that cough could greatly reduce the transmission of the disease, which annually kills more than 1.3 million people worldwide.
Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for Advanced Pain Studies worked with colleagues from UT Southwestern Medical Center to pinpoint a molecule that the tuberculosis bacterium manufactures to induce coughing.
Their findings, published online March 5 in the journal Cell, could help reduce the impact of tuberculosis, which remains one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
