The mycobacterial ATP burst is a lysis artifact and serves as an assay for drug-induced cell wall damage.

Summary: When scientists test new drugs for tuberculosis (TB), they sometimes see a sudden spike in energy molecules called ATP. People used to think this meant the bacteria were actively reacting to the medicine. But it turns out, this "ATP burst" is just a sign that the bacteria's outer wall has burst open and spilled its guts! Because of this discovery, researchers can now use this energy spike as a handy test to see exactly how well a drug breaks down the TB germ's armor. This will help us find better treatments for TB much faster.