After the TB bacteria infect macrophages, a complex structure called a granuloma develops. Different immune cells arrive at the granuloma to surround the bacterial infection and fight the disease. In her second lecture, Ramakrishnan explains how her laboratory used a zebrafish model of TB to study the involvement of granulomas in TB progression. Although granulomas were thought to constrain infection, her laboratory showed that the bacteria hijack the granulomas to spread the disease. For example, Ramakrishnan showed that TB bacteria promote the recruitment of new macrophages to the granuloma that engulf dying infected macrophages to expand infection.
View the full talk with additional resources on our website
Tuberculosis Pathogenesis
Dr. Lalita Ramakrishnan gives an introduction to tuberculosis (TB) pathogenesis, and gives an overview of Mycobacterium tuberculosis’ life cycle. (Talk recorded in January 2017)
- Part 1: An Introduction to Tuberculosis: The Pathogenic Personality of the Tubercle BacillusAudience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 00:34:44 - Part 2: The Troublesome Tubercle in TuberculosisAudience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 00:29:42 - Part 3: Tuberculosis as an Inflammatory DiseaseAudience:
- Student
- Researcher
- Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
- Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Duration: 00:32:27