An outbreak of tuberculosis in the skid row area of downtown
Los Angeles may have exposed up to 4,500 individuals to the bacterium that
causes the deadly disease and has left federal officials scrambling to
intervene.
The outbreak is occurring during winter, when homeless
individuals are driven to crowded shelters, when influenza is peaking and when
people's vitamin D levels, typically boosted by sunlight exposure, are low. A
new UCLA study offers critical insight into how various bacteria may manipulate
such factors to their advantage.