Desiccation promotes DNA damage and rifampin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Subject of Research: Biology

Article Title: Desiccation promotes DNA damage and rifampin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Article References: Brown, C. D., Lee, B. M., Liu, H. M., Wu, A. M., Tellez, A., Zou, H., Singh, P. R., Saito, K., Mishra, S., Brown, M., Saleh, A., Odjourian, N. M., Cristaldo, M., Gan, M., Liu, Q., Gengenbacher, M., Darst, S. A., Campbell, E. A., Nathan, C., & Rhee, K. Y. (2026). Desiccation promotes DNA damage and rifampin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Nature Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-026-02437-w

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1038/s41564-026-02437-w

Keywords: antibiotic resistance evolution, bacterial adaptation to dry conditions, bacterial desiccation tolerance, desiccation stress in tuberculosis, DNA repair mechanisms in M. tuberculosis, environmental stress effects on TB bacteria, genetic mutations induced by stress, impact of desiccation on bacterial genomes, Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA damage, rifampin resistance development, survival strategies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, tuberculosis treatment challenges