The authors have developed a simple and highly efficient system for generating allelic exchanges in both fast- and slow-growing mycobacteria. In this procedure a gene of interest, disrupted by a… (More)
Bacteriophages are the most abundant organisms in the biosphere and play major roles in the ecological balance of microbial life. The genomic sequences of ten newly isolated mycobacteriophages… (More)
Ethambutol (EMB), a frontline antituberculous drug, targets the mycobacterial cell wall, a unique structure among prokaryotes which consists of an outer layer of mycolic acids covalently bound to… (More)
The inhibition of apoptosis of infected host cells is a well-known but poorly understood function of pathogenic mycobacteria. We show that inactivation of the secA2 gene in Mycobacterium… (More)
Tuberculosis remains a severe worldwide health threat. A thorough understanding of Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis will facilitate the development of new treatments for tuberculosis. Numerous… (More)
Tuberculosis and malaria together result in an estimated 5 million deaths annually. The spread of multidrug resistance in the most pathogenic causative agents, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and… (More)
The KZN strain family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a highly virulent strain endemic to the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa, which has recently experienced an outbreak of extensively-drug… (More)
The fatty acid synthesis type II pathway has received considerable interest as a candidate therapeutic target in Plasmodium falciparum asexual blood-stage infections. This apicoplast-resident… (More)
Here we report an efficient, site-specific system of genetic integration into Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite chromosomes. This is mediated by mycobacteriophage Bxb1 integrase, which catalyzes… (More)