Multiple tropical pathogens

Multiple tropical pathogens is a collective term used to describe a diverse group of infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites, that are primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions (World Health Organization, 2023). This designation is often used in regulatory and public health contexts, such as the FDA's Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher program, to categorize pathogens responsible for diseases like Malaria, Tuberculosis, and various Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) (FDA, 2022). Because this term refers to a broad array of distinct organisms rather than a specific biological molecule, it is not considered a single therapeutic target in the fields of pharmacology or molecular biology. Drug discovery efforts must instead focus on identifying and hitting specific proteins or pathways within an individual pathogen, such as the dihydrofolate reductase in Plasmodium falciparum or the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase in the Dengue virus (NIH, 2021). Consequently, there is no unified mechanism of action, set of interacting drugs, or specific molecular classification associated with this collective group. The term serves as a functional classification for epidemiological tracking and the incentivization of drug development for underserved populations (CDC, 2022).

Other names

Tropical pathogensNeglected tropical disease agentsTropical infectious diseasesNeglected tropical diseases (NTDs)

Not applicable (collective term for various organisms rather than a single molecular target)