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Co‐evolution of M ycobacterium tuberculosis and H omo sapiens
Author(s) -
Brites Daniela,
Gagneux Sebastien
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
immunological reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.839
H-Index - 223
eISSN - 1600-065X
pISSN - 0105-2896
DOI - 10.1111/imr.12264
Subject(s) - tuberculosis , virulence , biology , mycobacterium tuberculosis , genotype , homo sapiens , disease , human pathogen , genetics , obligate , pathogen , virology , tuberculosis vaccines , immunology , gene , medicine , ecology , pathology , sociology , anthropology
Summary The causative agent of human tuberculosis ( TB ), M ycobacterium tuberculosis , is an obligate pathogen that evolved to exclusively persist in human populations. For M . tuberculosis to transmit from person to person, it has to cause pulmonary disease. Therefore, M . tuberculosis virulence has likely been a significant determinant of the association between M . tuberculosis and humans. Indeed, the evolutionary success of some M . tuberculosis genotypes seems at least partially attributable to their increased virulence. The latter possibly evolved as a consequence of human demographic expansions. If co‐evolution occurred, humans would have counteracted to minimize the deleterious effects of M . tuberculosis virulence. The fact that human resistance to infection has a strong genetic basis is a likely consequence of such a counter‐response. The genetic architecture underlying human resistance to M . tuberculosis remains largely elusive. However, interactions between human genetic polymorphisms and M . tuberculosis genotypes have been reported. Such interactions are consistent with local adaptation and allow for a better understanding of protective immunity in TB . Future ‘genome‐to‐genome’ studies, in which locally associated human and M . tuberculosis genotypes are interrogated in conjunction, will help identify new protective antigens for the development of better TB vaccines.