Observation of mouse lung sections infected by the pathogen of tuberculosis

Observation of mouse lung sections infected by the pulmonary pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the pathogen of tuberculosis. Researchers quantified the degree of inflammation in these sections. They compared infection by the wild strain of Mtb with a mutated Mtb strain, looking for a gene implicated in the virulence of the inflammation. They were able to confirm that the mutant generates a lower degree of inflammation than the wild strain, evidence that the mutant may be less virulent. The gene in question could thus become a potential target for the generation of a new antituberculosis agent.