In addition, since EOPE is almost certainly multifactorial and its manifestations likely have a common pathway for several possibly distinct but converging defects in the processes of EVT and/or STB development (e.g. deficient CTB fusion, high STB apoptotic rate, and shallow EVT invasion) (Chaddha et al., 2004; Langbein et al., 2008; Khong et al., 2015), further definition of this disorder requires TB lineage-specific models. Here, CTBS is linked to tuberculosis.