Benzothiazinones Kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Blocking Arabinan Synthesis

Ammunition for the TB Wars Tuberculosis is a major human disease of global importance resulting from infection with the air-borne pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis , which is becoming increasingly resistant to all available drugs. An antituberculosis benzothiazinone compound kills mycobacterium in infected cells and in mice. Makarov et al. (p. 801 ) have identified a sulfur atom and nitro residues important for benzothiazinone's activity and used genetic methods and biochemical analysis to identify its target in blocking arabinogalactan biosynthesis during cell-wall synthesis. The compound affects the same pathway as ethambutol, and thus a benzothiazinone drug has the potential to become an important part of treatment of drug-resistant disease and, possibly, replace the less effective ethambutol in the primary treatment of tuberculosis.