Why Does Tuberculosis Make You Cough?

What if a disease could make you cough on purpose?

Coughing is one of the ways tuberculosis spreads, but scientists have found evidence that TB may do more than simply cause a cough. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for TB, produces a molecule called phenolic glycolipid (PGL), which can interact with sensory neurons involved in the cough reflex. In animal studies, PGL was shown to activate these sensory neurons and promote cough-related responses, even without the entire bacterium being present.

This raises an interesting possibility: TB may be influencing the nervous system in a way that could help it spread. Scientists are still studying exactly how PGL interacts with sensory neurons, but understanding this connection could reveal new ways to study (and potentially limit) TB transmission.