The cure of drug-resistant tuberculosis

The emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has intensified efforts to discover novel drugs for tuberculosis (TB) treatment. Targeting the persistent state of Mtb, a condition in which Mtb is resistant to conventional drug therapies, is of particular interest. Persistent bacterial population relies on metabolic pathways that become active in low nutrient environment like glyoxylate shunt. Since the glyoxylate shunt enzymes are not present in mammals, they make attractive drug targets. This study is focused on malate synthase (MS), one of the enzymes in the glyoxylate shunt.