[Chemical structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Part I--lipids].

Tuberculosis is a burning health issue in the contemporary world. Recognition of mechanisms by means of which pathogenic bacilli affect host cells and their virulence factors is indispensable to developing and synthesis of new drugs and vaccines. The authors discuss groups of the most important chemical compounds from the pathological point of view, which are responsible for morbidity and virulence of tubercle bacillus. They also point out the construction of cellular structures with reference to their functions. High content of lipid compounds especially in bacterial cell wall is a specific feature of tubercle bacillus. These molecules play different and very important roles both in growth and virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.