The over-arching aim of this network is to improve the health of people living in some of the poorest countries in the world that carry a disproportionate burden of infectious diseases. Despite their importance, the study of many tropical diseases has lagged behind that of diseases of developed countries.

Africa has the highest level of genetic diversity amongst all human populations. It also has the highest level of genetic diversity amongst populations of the pathogen that causes tuberculosis. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) emerged with modern humans in Africa