Modeling of Mycobacterium tuberculosis dormancy in bacterial cultures.

The currently available methods are unable to directly detect dormant forms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in vivo. The persistence of Mtb in the host body is detectable only in an indirect manner via the immunological response to Mtb-specific antigens. It is commonly recognized that the pathogen prevalently exists in the human body in a latent stage. Additional research efforts focusing on the Mtb dormancy are needed for development of sterilizing drugs, which are necessary to control LTBI and stop TB epidemic. To this end, the in vitro models of Mtb dormancy may be useful. This review briefly describes the phenomenon of Mtb dormancy and its role in the context of tuberculosis as a persistent bacterial infection; then the article characterizes in details the in vitro methods used for modeling the Mtb dormancy in bacterial cultures.