Host-directed therapies for malaria and tuberculosis: common infection strategies and repurposed drugs

Introduction: Malaria and tuberculosis are highly infectious diseases declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, and together they account for more than 1.5 million deaths worldwide each year. In the case of both malaria and tuberculosis, emergence of multidrug resistance towards frontline drugs has been reported in the recent past. Therefore, an urgent need exists for the discovery and development of novel drugs or therapies to fight these diseases. Areas covered: We provide a detailed overview of major infection strategies, commonly used by both the parasite Plasmodium and by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) during disease development. We also describe selected host-directed drugs which can be repurposed to treat both malaria and tuberculosis, and co-infections. Expert opinion: Investigation of common infection strategies used by both Plasmodium and Mtb, during the development of disease in humans, suggests that they are potential host targets for which to develop host-directed therapies. By taking advantage of these common infection strategies, there is a chance that a number of available drugs can be repurposed to fight both malaria and tuberculosis, and their co-infections.