Marking World TB Day 2025
On March 24, 1882, Robert Koch announced the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, to an audience of his scientific peers at the Berlin Physiological Society. This discovery earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1905, and revolutionized our understanding of tuberculosis. Each year the global TB community recognises this contribution to the fight against TB on World TB Day.
An important part of World TB Day is not to only remember where we have been, but also to take the opportunity to look forward and refocus ourselves as a community. We have made incredible gains over the past few decades, including the discovery of the first novel drugs for over 40 years and rapid diagnostics, however eradication of tuberculosis remains out of our grasp. TB services and research programmes have been seriously affected by recent global political decisions, millions of cases go undiagnosed every year, and access to novel treatment regimens is limited in many regions.
Earlier this month, TBnet published “A Year in Review on Tuberculosis and Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria Disease: A 2025 Update for Clinicians and Scientists” (doi: 10.20411/pai.v10i2.791). This timely review acts as a reference guide for those working the field of TB and provides a clear outline of the most recent developments and outstanding challenges for our community. An excellent resource for those who are established in the field through to those who are at an early stage in their career to give a rapid update on the current TB and NTM landscape, we would encourage you to share it widely within your networks.
Pretomanid is among the new generation of TB therapeutics with proven efficacy, and is part of the 6-month bedaquiline-pretomanid-linezolid regimen (with or without moxifloxacin) for the treatment of rifampin-resistant TB. The BPaL(M) regimen represents one of the most significant leaps forward in TB treatment over the past decade, but access to pretomanid remains a serious issue in Europe. In the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Open, an open letter co-authored by Liga Kuksa and colleagues from TBnet — emphasizing a collaborative effort from multiple respected respiratory groups and societies — calls for the label expansion of pretomanid (doi: https://doi.org/10.5588/ijtldopen.25.0152).
History has shown us that a lack of action towards TB comes with consequences. On World TB Day 2025, we join with the TBnet membership to remember those who have been affected by the disease in Europe and beyond, and we will move forwards with a renewed vigour to act.
The Next TBnet Webinar – "Congenital and Perinatal TB"
join us on Thursday, March 27 at 18:00 CET for the latest TBnet/pTBnet webinar on "Congenital and Perinatal TB".
More information and free registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/BVMtq3XBR1eM_AP0IP_vYg
Please note that this webinar is at 18:00 CET, which is a one-time change. Next webinars will be held at our normal time - 17:00 CET.
TBnet meeting at The Union Conference 2025
The next TBnet Annual Meeting will take place on 18th November 2025 in Copenhagen. This will be a shorter meeting than our normal Annual Meeting with a focus on the administrative aspects and will coincide with the upcoming Union Conference 2025. A full agenda will be released closer to the time and we look forward to seeing many of you there!
EACCTB 2025
The EACCTB 2025 is going to take place in cooperation with the Clinical Tuberculosis Course (ClinTB course) of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), FILHA, Karolinska Institute, KNCV, TBnet and the "International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease" in the historic Manor House of the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center, in Borstel (30 minutes from Hamburg airport), Germany, June 25 – 27.
The course offers a comprehensive update of the clinical management of tuberculosis as well as cutting-edge science. Topics covered include updates on the epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in adults and children, hot topics like tuberculosis & migration or Antibiotic Stewardship and on-stage interactive case presentations. The course faculty includes international experts in the field of clinical tuberculosis. The Visiting Professor in Tuberculosis 2025, Professor Alice Zwerling from the University in Ottawa, Canada, will conduct a Satellite Workshop on “Health Economy in TB” for Residents and Fellows and a Keynote lecture on “Cost effectiveness of novel molecular methods for drug susceptibility testing”. The EACCTB 2025 in Borstel is excellently suited for a comprehensive update on the practical management of tuberculosis for cross-disciplinary exchange and networking.
We are looking forward to seeing you in Borstel this summer!
Link to registration: https://fzb-veranstaltungen.de/eacctb
TBnet News
Editor – Conor Tweed
Layout & formatting – Anne Oleischeck
Cover picture – Conor Tweed
Comments