Stealth strategies of mycobacterium tuberculosis for immune evasion

Abstract

Tuberculosis is a devastating disease causing high mortality all over the world, especially in the developing countries. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis which replicates in the intracellular environment of host macrophages. Although the host immune system is capable of completely eliminating the pathogen, co-evolution of M. tb with humans has resulted in its ability to hijack the host innate and adaptive immune systems in numerous ways. Limited recent progress has been made in the understanding of M. tb immune escape mechanisms, hence exploration of survival strategies of M. tb has been critically reviewed with an insight into understanding its pathogenesis. We summarized the recent studies regarding the modulation of innate immune response, adaptive immune response, epigenetics and the role of miRNA. All of these advancements suggest that M. tb is well-familiarize with the host immune system and possess the ability to hijack it for intracellular survival.