Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in women with unexplained infertility

Background: Genital tuberculosis (GTB) is an important cause of female infertility, especially in developing countries. The positive results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in endometrial GTB in the absence of tubal damage raise the possibility of the detection of sub-clinical or latent disease, with doubtful benefits of treatment. Objective: To evaluate the mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in endometrial biopsy samples collected from unexplained infertile women attending Yazd Research and Clinical Center for Infertility by using PCR techniques. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study, 144 infertile women with unexplained infertility aged 20-35 years old and normal Histro-saplango graphy findings were enrolled. Endometrial biopsy samples from each participant were tested for mycobacterium tuberculosis detecting by PCR. In 93 patients, peritoneal fluid was also taken for culture and PCR. Results: The PCR results of endometrial specimens were negative in all cases, demonstrating that there was no GTB infection among our patients. Conclusion: Our results showed that GTB could not be considered as a major problem in women with unexplained infertility. Although, studies have indicated that PCR is a useful method in diagnosing early GTB disease in infertile women with no demonstrable evidence of tubal or endometrial involvement.

Functional characterization by genetic complementation of aroB-Encoded dehydroquinate synthase from Mycobactetium tuberculosis H37Rv and its heterologous expression and purification

The recent recrudescence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains have created an urgent need for new therapeutics against tuberculosis. The enzymes of the shikimate pathway are attractive drug targets because this route is absent in mammals and, in M. tuberculosis, it is essential for pathogen viability. This pathway leads to the biosynthesis of aromatic compounds, including aromatic amino acids, and it is found in plants, fungi, bacteria, and apicomplexan parasites. The aroB-encoded enzyme dehydroquinate synthase is the second enzyme of this pathway, and it catalyzes the cyclization of 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate in 3-dehydroquinate. Here we describe the PCR amplification and cloning of the aroB gene and the overexpression and purification of its product, dehydroquinate synthase, to homogeneity. In order to probe where the recombinant dehydroquinate synthase was active, genetic complementation studies were performed. The Escherichia coli AB2847 mutant was used to demonstrate that the plasmid construction was able to repair the mutants, allowing them to grow in minimal medium devoid of aromatic compound supplementation. In addition, homogeneous recombinant M. tuberculosis dehydroquinate synthase was active in the absence of other enzymes, showing that it is homomeric. These results will support the structural studies with M. tuberculosis dehydroquinate synthase that are essential for the rational design of antimycobacterial agents.