RESEARCH ARTICLE Effects of infection and di i a

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground Despite the availability of chemotherapeutic agents and a vaccine (BCG), Mtb remains the number one cause of death due to bacterial infectious diseases worldwide. In 2011, 8.7 million people developed clinical disease and 1.4 million died from TB [1]. Control of TB has been hampered by the absence of sensitive diagnostic means, the spread of HIV infection, and the emergence of multidrug resistant Mtb. The only licensed vaccine against tuberculosis (BCG) is effective in preventing systemic TB in children, but its efficacy against pulmo-nary TB in adults is controversial [2]. Improved vaccines and diagnostic assays are needed. Mtb is an encapsulated organism and its capsule is composed of lipid derivatives of arabinomann (AM) and glucan (Glu) [3-6]. The role of these CPs in pathoge-nesis of and immunity to Mtb is unknown; however, CPs of other important bacteria such as Haemophilus influenzae type b, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis and Salmonella typhi have been shown t