Mycobacterial genetics in target validation.

One-third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and TB claims 2 million lives every year, yet no new first-line anti-TB drugs have been introduced since 1970. The urgent need to find new agents to reduce the duration and complexity of TB chemotherapy and to eradicate persistent infection is reinforced by the emergence of multi-drug resistant strains and the HIV pandemic. In this review, we highlight the application of recent advances in mycobacterial genetics in drug target validation.: