Publications
Genetic diversity of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains from newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients in Northwest Ethiopia reveals a predominance of East-African-Indian and Euro-American lineages Institute of Tropical Medicine University of Antwerp
OBJECTIVES: This study described the population structure of M. tuberculosis complex (MTBc) strains among patients with pulmonary or lymph node tuberculosis (TB) in Northwest Ethiopia and tested the performance of culture isolation and MPT64-based speciation for Lineage 7 (L7).
METHODS: Patients were recruited between April 2017 and June 2019 in North Gondar, Ethiopia. The MPT64 assay was used to confirm MTBc, and spoligotyping was ...
Molecular epidemiology and population structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains in tuberculosis patients: implications for diagnostic approaches Institute of Tropical Medicine
Comparative genomics shows differences in the electron transport and carbon metabolic pathways of Mycobacterium africanum relative to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and suggests an adaptation to low oxygen tension Institute of Tropical Medicine University of Antwerp
The geographically restricted Mycobacterium africanum lineages (MAF) are primarily found in West Africa, where they account for a significant proportion of tuberculosis. Despite this phenomenon, little is known about the co-evolution of these ancient lineages with West Africans. MAF and M. tuberculosis sensu stricto lineages (MTB) differ in their clinical, in vitro and in vivo characteristics for reasons not fully understood. Therefore, we ...
Genome-wide transposon Mutagenesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis University of Antwerp
Back-to-Africa introductions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the main cause of tuberculosis in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Institute of Tropical Medicine KU Leuven
Potential of Mycobacterium tuberculosis resuscitation-promoting factors as antigens in novel tuberculosis sub-unit vaccines KU Leuven
Genetic diversity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates and resulting outcomes of tuberculosis infection and disease University of Antwerp
Transcriptional adaptation of drug-tolerant Mycobacterium tuberculosis during treatment of human tuberculosis Institute of Tropical Medicine
BACKGROUND:  Treatment initiation rapidly kills most drug-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but a bacterial subpopulation tolerates prolonged drug exposure. We evaluated drug-tolerant bacilli in human sputum by comparing messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of drug-tolerant bacilli that survive the early bactericidal phase with treatment-naive bacilli.
METHODS:  M. tuberculosis gene expression was quantified via reverse-transcription ...