Tuberculosis: Current Progress in Drug Targets, Potential Drugs andTherapeutic Impact

Abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) considers tuberculosis to be the most dangerous chronic communicable disease in the world, infecting two billion people or one-third of the world’s population. Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide into the 21st century. Tuberculosis is second only to AIDS among other infectious diseases in causing deaths worldwide. The emergence of AIDS, multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), the decline of socioeconomic standards, and a reduced emphasis on tuberculosis control programmers contribute to the disease’s resurgence in industrialized countries.