Tuberculosis: Current Progress in Drug Targets, Potential Drugs and Therapeutic Impact

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 causing deaths worldwide. The emergence of AIDS, multidrug-resistant TB (MDRTB), 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.