New research suggests the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) alter their metabolism to combat exposure to antimicrobials, and new drugs could neutralize the metabolic "escape pathways" to shorten the duration of therapy.

The findings, published recently in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, are hailed as important because the respiratory disease kills nearly 2 million people a year worldwide, and its long treatment regimen leads to poor compliance and, in turn, drug-resistant germs.

Another compliance issue is that TB is particularly prevalent in impoverished countries in which patients often live great distances from pharmacies and other medical facilities.

Source: Xinhua