Major breakthrough in fight against TB

The fight against one of the most virulent strains of TB has been boosted by a discovery by South African scientists.

South African scientists have made a major breakthrough in the fight against TB, Sowetan.co.za reports.

Experts based in Durban, South Africa, have made discoveries that they hope will allow them to better diagnose the Extremely Drug Resistant TB (XDR-TB) strain of the virus.

XDR-TB is particularly resistant to most anti-TB drugs, as well as many second tier drugs used to combat the virus.

The chief researcher for the project, James Sakwa, said: "Our findings will assist clinicians in treating patients. It will also lead to a better understanding of the mutations leading to drug resistance in TB. We may now be closer to identifying potential therapeutic agents, including drugs that target drug resistant TB."

While the findings do not represent an actual cure for TB, the researchers hope they represent a significant step in the process and in the fight against the XDR-TB strain in particular.

World Health Organisation figures indicate there are an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 new cases of the XDR-TB strain every year, with outbreaks confirmed in 37 countries so far.

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