Two new antibiotics to treat tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is one of First 10 causes of mortality in the world And leads to 1.8 million deaths each year, notes the Ministry of Health. Therefore, If the disease. Moreover, after having wreaked havoc in France, has become rarer in recent years (largely thanks to vaccination, the BCG), it continues to Put victims in Europe and France. Similarly, “In 2023 in mainland France, 4,700 cases of tuberculosis were declared, ie an incidence of 7.1 cases per 100. Therefore, 000 inhabitants”, Details the Regional Health Agency (ARS) in Aquitaine on the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day at the end of March last. For example, At the end of November 2024. In addition, the whole University of Rouen in Seine-Maritime had been under pressure with a diagnosed case and 70 contact cases among the students and teachers. For example, What immediately trigger a screening campaign two new antibiotics treat tuberculosis (radio possibly supplemented by a blood test) because the disease is contagious. Similarly, “UNo one untreated can contaminate 10 to 15 people per year”Specifies the Inserm. Moreover, The disease is transmitted by micro secretions in the air. Consequently, a patient can thus contaminate others simply in Speaking, coughing, sneezing or even singing. It is therefore imperative to isolate patients. Therefore,

Even more surprising, some people can contract a “dormant” form, which imposes long -term follow -up.

“In around nine infected in ten infected people, the bacillus can remain “sleeping” for years, without causing symptoms or contagion. Similarly, We then speak of latent tuberculosis. In 5 to 10 % of cases. the bacillus ends up reactivating itself, then resulting in the development of active tuberculosis (or “tuberculosis-maladie”))symptomatic and contagious ”, details Inserm.

What exactly is tuberculosis? – Two new antibiotics treat tuberculosis

The Koch bacillusdoes that mean anything to you? Certainly. It is precisely this bacteria, the two new antibiotics treat tuberculosis Mycobacterium tuberculosiswhich is involved in the disease. We know her under her name of Koch. the German doctor who discovered her at the end of the 19th century (for the record, it also earned her to obtain the Nobel Prize in Medicine).

In the majority of cases. this infection affects the lungs (We speak of pulmonary tuberculosis) and manifests itself by respiratory disorders, in particular an intense and chronic cough, possibly accompanied by sputum (sometimes bloody) or a breathlessness, breathing difficulties. At the same time, patients can suffer from:

• Pain in the chest.
• A fevermoderate but persistent, often accompanied by night sweats.
• A weight loss unexplained.
• A weakness general.

Can we cure tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is treated well today, thanks to antibiotics. On the condition of scrupulously monitoring treatment – entirely covered by health insurance – which last six months. This condition is very important because it helps prevent Resistant forms of the diseasethus warns two new antibiotics treat tuberculosis the Ministry of Health. However. the resistant forms (that is to say that the usual antibiotic treatment does not work) can turn to the therapeutic puzzle. “” “The number of people with antibiotic resistant tuberculosis is constantly increasing in the world”, Notes the INSERM. These resistant forms are all the more problematic as the drugs used to overcome it are particularly toxic. heavy in undesirable side effects. Under these conditions. the results of this study conducted by Dutch researchers and published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases will change the situation.

Two new treatments to counter resistant forms

Since 2022. the antibiotic combination Used in recurrent forms included linezolid “which plays a crucial role in the first -line treatment of pharmacoreist tuberculosis on a global scale ”detail the Dutch researchers. The problem ? Its prolonged use can lead to toxicity, especially neurological and hematological. “Despite its effectiveness, linezolid is simply too two new antibiotics treat tuberculosis toxic for many patients, Note one of the researchers behind the study, Dr. Norbert Heinrich. We have an urgent need safer alternatives in this class of antibiotics ”.

This clinical study has therefore tested the toxicity. effectiveness of two other drugs, Suezolid and Delpazolid (which both belong to the class of oxazolidinones, such as linezolid) and these results are promising. “The decrease in the side effects observed with the sutezolide. the delpazolide constitutes a significant advance : it brings us closer to anti -tuberculosis treatments that are both effective and easier to tolerate for patients ”, conclude the researchers.