One-third of the world population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and hence at risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB). Each year, 8.8 million patients are newly diagnosed with active TB and 1.6 million patients die of TB. The rapid spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has fueled the TB epidemic, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where 28% of TB patients are HIV positive. The current first-line treatment for TB is a multidrug regimen consisting of rifampin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol (RHZE). It must be taken for at least 6 months to achieve high cure rates (more than 95% in experimental settings). There are several major problems associated with the currently available TB treatment. First, the duration and complexity of treatment result in nonadherence to treatment. This leads to suboptimal response (failure and relapse), the emergence of resistance, and continuous spread of the disease. Second, adverse events in response to anti-TB drugs are common and contribute to the problem of nonadherence. Third, the increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR; resistance to at least rifampin and isoniazid) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR; MDR resistance plus resistance to a fluoroquinolone and an aminoglycoside) TB is a serious concern