New Irish research into the world's single biggest infectious killer has been announced.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The illness usually affects the lungs, but can sometimes spread to other organs.

It is caught by inhaling microscopic droplets containing the bacterium, which are produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Millions of people are affected by the disease worldwide and over 250,000 children die annually. While it is not seen as often in developed countries, such as Ireland, figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show that over 300 cases are still notified here every year, with 321 in 2017.

Now CMRF Crumlin, which provides vital funding to paediatric research, has announced new funding for the National Children's Research Centre (NCRC), into TB in children.

Following exposure to someone with TB, a healthy adult has about a 10% chance of getting the disease and it normally does not occur until many years later. However, newborn babies are much more at risk. Up to 50% get sick within a few months of exposure and they have an increased risk of developing disease outside of the lung, such as meningitis.

The mortality of TB in this age group is almost 50%.

"Over 250,000 children die every year from TB infection worldwide but the burden of disease extends far beyond that. Over one million children are infected annually and TB is difficult to treat, requiring many months of therapy that is expensive and difficult to complete.

"The emergence of multiple drug resistant strains of TB in recent years further highlights the need to develop new host-directed therapies," commented CMRF Crumlin CEO, Lisa-Nicole Dunne.

According to paediatrician, Dr Cilian Ó Maoldomhnaigh, of the NCRC, it is still not known why babies are more at risk of developing TB and why it spreads more easily among them.

"One theory is that the way a baby's immune system works is different than an adult's, particularly in the way the immune cells switch on in response to infection. This shift in function requires the cells to change how it generates energy and the products it needs to function. This immunometabolism is increasingly recognised as being vital for immune cells to function properly," he explained.

He added that he hopes this new research ‘will improve our understanding of the immune response of babies to TB infection, which may lead to better vaccines and treatment for this deadly disease'.

CMRF Crumlin (the Children's Medical Research Foundation) was established in 1965 and is the principal fundraising body for Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin and the NCRC. For more information on it, click here