Mycobacterial genomics and its application to disease control

AbstractThe publication of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome sequence in 1998 heralded a new phase in mycobacterial research. The subsequent decade has seen an enormous increase in our understanding of the basic biology, virulence mechanisms, drug targets and evolution of the M. tuberculosis complex, an acceleration in knowledge that would not have been possible without the genome. This review summarises some key findings from mycobacterial genomics and highlights how this knowledge can be applied to disease control in the developing world. [Ethiop.J.Health Dev. 2008;22(Special Issue):119-122