Investigations of anti-infective agents from Camellia sinensis and Kniphofia foliosa and development of a microbiological tool to study antimycobacterial activity under hypoxic conditions

Abstract

his cumulative thesis focuses on three major communicable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as the global burden of antimicrobial resistance. Secondary plant metabolites of Camellia sinensis and Kniphofia foliosa, both plants that are endemic to or cultivated in sub-Saharan Africa, were investigated for their anti-infective potential. Additionally, a new microbiological assay was designed that can identify compounds that are bactericidal to low-oxygen persisters of Mycobacterium abscessus. This subpopulation of Mycobacterium abscessus is in particular difficult to eradicate, yet it is most relevant in the context of treating non-tuberculous pulmonary infections.