Smartest Doc
Host cell autophagy activated by antibiotics is required for their effective antimycobacterial drug action
Cell Host & Microbe, 06/01/2012
Kim JJ et al. – Mycobacterium marinum–infected autophagy–defective, atg7 mutant Drosophila exhibited decreased survival rates, which could not be rescued by antimycobacterial treatment, indicating that autophagy is required for effective antimycobacterial drug action in vivo. Moreover, activation of autophagy by antibiotic treatment dampened Mtb–induced proinflammatory responses in macrophages. Together, these findings underscore the importance of host autophagy in orchestrating successful antimicrobial responses to mycobacteria during chemotherapy.
