Host-pathogen Interactions During Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection (LTBI)

Even though LTBI is estimated to affect more than a billion people, latency of this disease is only partially understood. We use clinical samples to characterize the immune response in patients diagnosed with LTBI. Our studies, performed in collaboration with scientists at Addis Ababa University focus on human cohorts living in proximity to livestock. In this context, we are interested in M. tuberculosis and M. bovis transmission between livestock to human. We investigate the effects of the respiratory tract microbiome and strain lineages on TB outcome using genomic methods.