World Tuberculosis Day
1 day, 2 experts, 3 questions
We asked Professors Andreas Kupz and Antje Blumenthal, two experts in tuberculosis, three important questions to mark this World Tuberculosis Day.
What is the ONE thing the public needs to understand about tuberculosis (TB) in 2026?
Both experts state that tuberculosis remains a major concern for public health, and over 10 million new cases of tuberculosis disease are recorded every year across the globe, claiming approximately 1.2-1.3 million lives annually.
Prof Blumenthal reminds us that "in Australia, we have overall low TB case numbers - a benefit of a well-functioning health care system.” While we are fortunate here in Australia, that's not the case with many countries around the globe.
Prof Kupz explains further that "despite several decades of extensive research into the development of new TB diagnostics, therapies and vaccines, TB remains the leading infectious cause of death globally."
He also encourages us: "While TB continues to mainly affect low- and middle-income countries, it is important for the general public to continue their efforts to push governments and funders to keep up the fight against TB.”
In relation to the innovation behind their research, we asked:
Prof Kupz, your recent work highlights the potential of mucosal (inhaled) vaccines for tuberculosis. Why is inhaled vaccination better and how is your team working towards improving live attenuated vaccines (BCG) for human clinical trials?
"Over the last ten years, a few new TB vaccine candidates were not better than BCG when they were tested in clinical trials. While this was disappointing for the field, it also highlighted the importance of continuing to understand why BCG remains the gold-standard.
We and others have obtained good evidence that inhaled BCG vaccination may be significantly better at protecting the lung from the infecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. This is because an inhaled vaccination induces immune cells that can reside in the lung for prolonged periods of time.
In addition to better understanding the mechanisms of improved protection of inhaled BCG, we are also working on improving the BCG vaccine itself by genetically altering it to induce additional immune response", offering overall better protection.
Prof Blumenthal, your lab looks at how macrophages respond to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the fight against antibiotic resistance, how important are 'host-directed therapies' compared to traditional antibiotics?
“At the moment, successful TB treatment takes months to complete and requires a combination of antibiotics. This reflects the special nature of the bacteria that cause TB and their relationship with the human immune system. Research that we and others undertake aims to better understand how the immune system recognises and defends itself against TB-causing bacteria.
Our hope is that this might help the development of treatments that arm the immune system to kill the bacteria. Combined with antibiotics, this could make TB treatment faster and easier. Such novel treatments could also offer options for TB cases that show resistance to conventional antibiotics.”
The global goal is to end the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030. So, can we truly end tuberculosis by 2030?
Prof Kupz says that "while the numbers of new infections and active cases of TB show a downward trajectory, with the current methods the goal to end TB by 2030 is likely not achievable. The biggest game changer for the elimination of TB would be to better understand why the live attenuated vaccine (BCG) protects children but often not adults.
The phase III clinical trial results from three advanced TB vaccine candidates will become available over the next 3 years. If successful, the introduction of a second TB vaccine (in addition to BCG) could change the fight in our favour.”
Prof Blumenthal adds that “to end the TB epidemic, the global community must work together to tackle many challenges. I am hardened by the progress we have seen in recent years and the passion that drives many colleagues around the world to better understand tuberculosis disease and the underlying infection, develop new TB treatments and an effective vaccine, improve diagnosis and patient care, as well as help communities with education and outreach programs.”
So, while we might still have a long road ahead of us, the Centre, along with our researchers and many others around the globe, will continue to create new treatment possibilities through world-leading research and fight this deadly disease.
As the slogan of the campaign says:
Yes! We Can End TB. Led by countries. Powered by people!
Professor Andreas Kupz is a TB immunologist at James Cook University, where he leads research into immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the development of better TB vaccines.
Professor Antje Blumenthal is Director of the Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre at The University of Queensland. Her research focuses on how the immune system detects and responds to infections, including TB.