World TB Day

BACKGROUND: World TB Day annually raises awareness about the infectious lung disease tuberculosis, which kills some 1.5 million people each year, mainly in developing countries. The global event marks Dr. Robert Koch’s discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the cause of TB on March 24, 1882. Koch was a German physician known as the founder of modern bacteriology; he won a Nobel Prize for his work.

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OBJECTIVE: High-schoolers who visit CSU for World TB Day are immersed in the science of microbiology and its application to infectious disease. They gain an inside look at modern efforts to control TB through hands-on activities with investigators in the Mycobacteria Research Laboratories. The day is especially interesting for students who want to pursue college studies in health, medicine, and STEM fields.

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ACTIVITIES: Activities and presentations are led by CSU researchers, clinicians, and public-health officials who work on TB in humans and natural animal hosts.

   * Mock BSL-3 experience – Practice wearing the personal protective equipment required for work in a                     

   * Biosafety Level 3 laboratory, such as those at CSU.

   * Use microscopes to view samples of lung tissue, gaining an understanding of how tissue appears as infection progresses. 

   * Use laboratory techniques to identify bacterial proteins and nucleic acids. 

   * Use tests now under development to diagnose TB with urine and blood samples from infected individuals.

   * Analyze data to understand molecular interactions between a host and bacilli.

   * Tour the Research Innovation Center, which opened in 2010 as a hub for developing new technologies to diagnose and treat infectious diseases. 

NOTE: Safety is a top priority; participants will not be exposed to materials that could cause infection.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAMMING:

Contact Dr. Nicole Kruh-Garcia, worldtbdaycsu@gmail.com, (970) 491-5837.